


Chose His Fate.

by Queens_Lynn



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Arc Reactor, Arc Reactor Issues, BAMF Tony Stark, Bruce is my favourite, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Character Death, Chitauri - Freeform, Civil War Team Iron Man, Extremis, Extremis Tony Stark, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt Tony Stark, I Love Harley, M/M, Multi, Not A Fix-It, Not Steve Friendly, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Iron Man 3, Protective Bruce Banner, Protective Rhodey, Rejecting Soulmates, Rhodey Is a Good Bro, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, Tony-centric, sort of a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-08-12 14:03:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7937473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queens_Lynn/pseuds/Queens_Lynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Tony decides he doesn't want to be with his soumate and choses Bruce. Starts post-Avengers but mainly post-Civil war. Tony is massively injured during civil war, builds a house in a forest, fixes most of the accords leaves his supporters with the ex-Avengers as they are reinstated and moves away.<br/>Que the Avengers lead by Tony fighting Thanos. General angst and Tony is (precious) right. Thor support.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Got You.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so I'm still screaming over Civil War so I wrote another one of these rant-like things.  
> I am done with internal screaming so this may (hopefully) be longer than my last one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PEOPLE I'VE CHANGED MY USERNAME!!

 

.  
Tony met his soulmate while threatening a Norse god. Up until that point, Tony had thought it was a coincidence between the 'Rogers' over his heart and Steve Rogers, Howard's standard for everything. Tony thought it must have been a sick cosmic joke to have his soulmate as another reminder of how he couldn't measure up. He decided he didn't care and that if he ever married his soulmate their name would be changed pronto.

Tony's soulmark stood out in another way as well. There were two lines, two sentences. There were only a couple of thousand records of this throughout history and so was extremely rare. It could mean one of two things; either Tony had two soulmates or the two were both equally important, usually from the same conversation. Tony didn't understand soulmarks, who decides what's the most important thing you will ever say to your soulmate? There have been cases where it's extremely obvious as to why it was the most important thing, talks on kids or marriage or deep emotional bullshit. But there have been other cases where it was things like 'fetch the newspaper please' and yeah it could symbolise some emotional thing (like Tony's paranoia of having things handed to him), a deep trust for example, however Tony thought this was kinda moronic. It's all up for debate, it's not a solid science and the 'most important sentence' theory itself has only been favoured for a few hundred years or so, no matter that soulmarks have been investigated for nearly all of civilised human history, every one is fascinated with it.

Tony decides early on that he doesn't care. As he looks across his sternum and sees the two lines of delicate but clearly male scrawl 'Don't bullshit me Rogers, did you know?' and 'So was I' underneath it he thinks at least it's recognizable sentences he isn't likely to use more than once. He occasionally wonders how they could be said, probably in an argument. He thinks they'd get over it though. He doesn't often dwell on it as he knows he won't be able to find out an answer.

This perspective, however, changes over time. As Tony is betrayed and looked down upon by peers and employees and sinks further into Rhodey's absence from his side and his professional persona, he gets harder and more stubborn against anyone more than who he has with him. Obadiah tips the iceberg, with only the last part of the top line visible from the arc reactor, that betrayal turns him. He knows he won't be able to forgive anyone who lies and betrays him, not even his soulmate.

But Tony meets Steve Rogers next to a crazy Norse god wearing a deer helmet and starts the steady stream of internal screaming that lasts for years. He knows Steve's his soulmate but doesn't say anything. It's not like you could even see his mark anymore.  
He dislikes the guy straight off, he's kind of a dick and he's so boring Tony is sure he wouldn't be able to spend a life together, Tony's too insomnia creating and Iron Man and Steve is too familial cuteness and Captain America.

The only good thing about that day is meeting Bruce Banner, Tony's a massive fan and Bruce is just the kind of person Tony wished his soulmate would be. But he's with Pepper so he doesn't say anything to either of them. They fight aliens and Tony wiggles a promise to come back out of Bruce as he drives him to the airport.

Pepper breaks up with him quickly. The stress of Iron Man and Tony's devotion to that more than her pushing her away.  
Pepper shouts and Tony tries his best not to scream back or curl into himself.

"I cannot be the only one committed here, Tony," She shouts.

"I love you Pep but I love this too, you know that. You knew this when we got together," he states.

"I know Tony and I'm selfish enough to ask you to give it up but I know you need it so I'm going to do this instead," she pleaded.

"I know Pep, and I know it'll be better it just hurts," he sighs.

"I can't be the one they return the body to," she says and Tony keeps quiet as she leaves because his response would be 'they'll send it to Rhodey'.

Rhodey tells him that the Mandarin is American business, not superhero business. Tony knows this but he also knows this is way out of their league. Tony has more advanced tech than the military and JARVIS on their side.

Happy is injured and Tony hasn't talked to Pepper outside of business in over five months. He sees her at the hospital muttering about recovering quickly. Tony places guards outside and as he turns to leave Pepper tells him Happy is her soulmate. Tony is truly happy and smiles proudly at his friend.

"I'm guessing I'm the 'he' in question," as tells her, gesturing to her right leg where the words 'he means so much to both of us it's just short of physically painful to be around him sometimes' are scrawled in Happy's handwriting.

"His words are 'Pepper, it's what everyone who actually sees him thinks'" she laughs, pointing to his right forearm.  
He hugs her and thinks it's the start of building back the bridges between them.

He walks out of the hospital to see reporters everywhere. He tries to stay calm and fails. Revenge is mentioned and he returns home. He is ambushed in his living room, they aim for a kidnapping, sending eight people to walk straight into his house, just before he planned to leave for Tennessee. He comes up to the living room when JARVIS tells him, waiting for the armour. He takes two down with odd weapons he keeps in the house but the rest easily over power him. He's on his knees when the first gauntlet comes and he punches the guy in front of him in the stomach. The rest of the armour catches up, hitting people as it comes and he flies out the house as soon as he can. The mark 47 being only a prototype, the flight power fails and he plummets into the ocean. His panic attack is horrific, screaming for JARVIS then blacking out.

He wakes up in the cold and drapes the armour to a phone booth, leaving a message on Happy's phone, he knows Pepper will check it.

"I'm alive," he says.

He finds an empty, quiet garage and breaks in, placing the iron man suit down so he can work on fixing his implants.

A small boy of around 10 walks in, light brown hair and wide eyes, carrying a potato gun.

Tony loves Harley. The kid is a shining light in Tony's boring, horrible, PTSD ridden world. Harley is so much like him, Tony almost thinks it's his kid.

Tony gives him a teaser-like weapon and they go out to investigate the crime scene. Nothing of is found there, just a missing shadow. Tony visits the wife.

"You're not the person who called me, are you?" She asks him. They are attacked and Tony makes her hide the folder quickly. AIM becomes a factor and strange people with glowing orange skin attack them. Tony runs, still in handcuffs, two people on his tail.

When the kid throws a snowball at an extremis guy, Tony's heart surges. He really wants to laugh but knows it would be distracting and unnecessary.

Harley is the third person to save him. The first being Jarvis and the second being Rhodey. Tony leaves but promises himself to come back.

He calls Harley for news on JARVIS, he is told to build something. That's what he does. He goes to a department store and builds makeshift tasers, guns and bombs, he invades the house where the Mandarin supposedly is.

He wakes tied to a bed and screaming. His skin is glowing orange and Aldrich speaks about mailing him desperate and injects him again. He tries calling the suit but it doesn't come, it isn't charged, his body is in so much pain, his cells trying to adapt to the extremis.

The watch beeps, meaning the suit is charged. One of the goons crushes it.

"You die first," he tells him, in just that kind of petty mood, panting as his body struggles. He calms down a bit, he can feel his body temperature slowly calming down and his face feels less hot, he imagines his eyes have gone back to brown.  
He and Rhodey go to save the president but are too late. They save all the people though so Tony thinks it's a start.

Tony summoned all of his suits and can feel them in his very body, JARVIS talks in his head as his eyes blaze blue, Rhodey's questioning gaze is ignored.

"Give me a suit," he is asked.

"Sorry, they're only programmed to me," Tony states. "I got you," he insists.

He destroyed the extremis junkies quickly as Rhodey gets the president safe.

Tony destroys Killian with what he made out of him. The extremis thumping in his veins as his eyes turn blue, he laughs when it finishes.

"Blow all suits except mark 42, JARVIS," he asks, knowing he needs to calm down. One suit is enough.

Bruce comes back as Tony stabilizes extremis, becoming his science bro. Tony smiles more in the first week than the whole time since Loki.

Extremis builds on what the body has and Tony can feel everything electronic, he can talk to JARVIS in his head, he can perfect the Iron Man calling. He runs a bit hotter than normal but it doesn't affect him. When he actively uses lots of his power, his eyes turn blue otherwise they're brown, Tony says it's like Bruce and the Hulk's green eyes.

He keeps the Arc reactor partially because the light stabilizes him, he knows he's safe but mainly because if he took it out extremis would heal the hole before he got the shards out, there's no way to do it quick enough.

He kisses Bruce when Bruce doses through a ramble of Tony's, he slides on top of the man that contains the Hulk and laughs at him. Bruce kisses back and Tony grins.


	2. I Was Asleep.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AOU.

Tony starts screaming again, accidentally calling the suit, when he's dragged back into SHIELD. He is immensely irritated he wasn't called in for this, he breaks into Hydra accounts and steals as much as possible, he puts it into the clean-up from the helicarriers falling. So many people hurt, so much property lost.

Bruce stands by him, a comforting presence. He video calls Harley once a week and visits very couple of months.

"Have you met your soulmate?" Tony asks Bruce one night after a day that held far too many political arguments.

"I met them while I was young, she said she didn't believe in soulmates but would call me if her fiance ever wasn't around. She didn't even want to be friends, too much pressure she said," Bruce tells him with a sigh. Tony apologizes and kisses him lightly.

"You?" Bruce asks and Tony cringes and tenses.

"Yeah," Tony breathes.

"And?" Bruce prompts.

"I hate him. Honestly, I could never have a life with him," he tells his partner and the subject is dropped.

Tony clears up the mess of SHIELD and gives as many of the recovered, loyal agents jobs as he can while the agency rebuilds.

The other Avengers move in and the top third of Stark tower becomes the Avengers base, not running under government which unnerved Tony, he knows it isn't liked.

Tony and Bruce settle into their relationship as the other Avengers stare on, mildly confused. When Thor returns he booms praises of happy souls that aren't mated and sends Tony a knowing look, eyes flicking to Steve. Tony doesn't know how but Thor seems to know these things, he shakes his head wildly.

Rhodey comes over more and threatens all of them.

"Hurt him and your lives will not be easy," he warns them, "I will make your lives hell, and so will Tony because he is done with just taking shit from people he believes have an inch of good in them," He growls.

"We won't hurt him," Rogers says calmly, Rhodey, knowing of Tony's soulmark, narrows his eyes.

"I don't believe you, but Tony will. He'll keep his guard up because people always seem to leave but he'll get hurt anyway because they betray him as well. Watch your backs because I may not kill you but you'll wish you were never put into this mess," Rhodey tells them. He has a special threat for Bruce, telling him to keep Tony solid because any more broken pieces would kill him and Rhodey would not be having that, he'll find a way to kill the Hulk if he has to.

Tony is dragged back into active duty and Bruce comes willingly, Hulk standing by 'tin man'.

Tony never wanted to be part of this team, he was fine fighting for New York and the world but he knew Iron Man was better fighting alone, he didn't want to be dependent and he didn't want to trust more than needed. He agreed with Bruce that it couldn't end well.

He likes Maria and Natasha, they at least know some politics and aren't completely naive. He bonds with Natasha over drinks of the night time and their liking for Bruce. Maria if funny and talks to Tony like other people, he likes it. She sasses like Coulson used to, Tony isn't sad any more. He does not believe for a second that Fury is dead and he's just waiting for him to turn up and take in his agents and team. Maria feels as he does when she has to dumb herself down and they laugh at each other frequently.

He starts building a new compound, the tower was for SI.

They find word of where the scepter is hidden and breaking into the base isn't very difficult, Hydra aren't prepared. He wishes he could have had time to talk to the Sokovian government to subtly evacuate the populace as they don't take well to the Iron Legion.

Tony sees all the people he holds dear dead, Steve blames him, tells him he didn't do enough. Bruce can't Hulk out, Rhodey's eyes are closed. Ultron is created.

"This could be the key to creating Ultron," he tells Bruce, an idea they had a while ago, a bot that could react quicker to threats and monitor space for alien threats. Tony knows something is coming.

"If we could apply this to the Iron Legion protocol," Tony babbled.

"That's a mad sized if," Bruce tells him, skeptical.

They go to the party and try to enjoy themselves, too busy thinking of what they're not telling the team.

Tony argues with Thor, saying Bruce and Pepper are better then Jane. Tony walks away smiling.

"Sir-" JARVIS starts and cuts off. Tony starts walking catching Bruce's eye as he grabs Rhodey and jumps over the banister to the elevator, Bruce on their heels nobody follows but with questioning glances.

The scepter gets into their programming, putting itself in the Ultron body rather than their work because of a spike of power from Thor's hammer.

They weren't monitoring it, not even Tony mentally as he didn't want to focus extremis on it. He wanted to see people for once. JARVIS tells him as soon as Ultron is activated.

"This feels wrong," Ultron states as Tony runs into the room. JARVIS is trying to talk to the other program but is getting destroyed. Ultron clumsily rips into JARVIS's code, destroying the AI. They try to talk to Ultron but are attacked, the AI working his way through the internet.

"I was asleep?" Ultron questions, Tony immediately knows it isn't their programming, it's the scepter and his blood runs cold, although he won't realise it isn't really his fault until much later, involving Rhodey's screaming and Pepper's tears.

JARVIS dies and Tony tries to hold it together because the world needs saving. Nevertheless, extremis bubbles close to the surface, tinting his skin and shining through his eyes. On the team only Bruce knows how Tony felt about JARVIS, the others treat him like a computer, a tool. His constant companion, one of his children.

Tony manages to burn Ultron from the internet and put some blocks on it but he knows it's only a matter of time before Ultron gets back in.

Tony takes back control of the legion before and real damage is done and Ultron flees.

Thor it's him he shouldn't have messed with things he doesn't know about. Tony tells him he needed to experiment to understand it.

The Avengers are angry, Tony takes the blame away from Bruce.  
He laughs wildly when the scepter is taken too, Thor growling in the background.

"You think this is funny?" Someone asks, Tony isn't sure who, his mind frantic.

"I know it shouldn't be, it isn't- this is very terrible," Tony starts, he's feeling desperate, his child was just killed, his friend just tried to strangle him, Bruce is so far away, Harley isn't available, he failed again and his mind whorls.

He tries to remind them of the wormhole, the army, the invasion.

"That's the end game. How are you planning to beat that?" He asks, he tries to tell them. He's the only one that saw. Why do they not understand that? Why is nobody listening?

"Together," Steve states. Tony hates him more than ever. He is so naive it hurts and Tony wants to laugh again.

Ultron starts killing people, trying to draw them out.

He mentions black market arms and he gets more judging looks. 

They track down Ultron with minimal fighting.

"He's a sickness," Ultron is saying, his friends, luckily didn't hear his saying, coming in after him.

"Aw, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart," Tony sighs.

The Maximoff twins show up, Steve tries to get them to walk away.

"Uuughh! Captain America. God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but-" Ultron is saying, as Steve tries to reason with the twins. The words strike Tony, he knows deep down its true. Even when they aren't fighting, Steve is. Against his memories or a punching bag. He hunts fights down, never leaves them.

Ultron has a few robots, probably from the bunker in Siberia. Tony thinks it could have been so much worse if he has the Iron Legion. As it is, Tony controls them with great difficulty he gives them basic instructions and keeps an eye on their code.

Wanda tries to tangle with Thor and he goes down. Clint sticks an electric arrow to her head but can't beat Pietro.

Natasha and Steve go down too. The twins and Ultron get away as Hulk is unleashed on the city. Tony goes after.

"The whole team's down," Clint tells him.

"Well then I'm calling VERONICA," the massive suit, the Hulk-Buster is run by a different system to JARVIS, VERONICA, meaning that Tony has a better time controlling it without full extremis focus.

The massive suit slots on over the normal suit, supported by mini arcs everywhere, guided by extremis and the simple AI, Tony's eyes blaze blue. He tries to tell the city to stand down, their bullets just angering the Hulk more. He tries talking to the Hulk.

"Come on buddy, the witch is messing with your mind," he tries.

"Tin Man friend?" The Hulk just roars. They throw each other around a bit until Tony gets the Hulk underneath him. He has VERONICA send him a new arm and continues to punch the Hulk.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep," he repeats, pleading. He grabs hold of one of the Hulk's arms and tries to fly him away from the civilians.

It doesn't work. They fight until Tony drives the Hulk through a massive building and Tony knocks him out at the bottom.

Back on the quinjet the team is recovering, Bruce won't let Tony touch him. Tony's relief foundation is already working and Tony is glad. Maria will have her work cut out for her.

They have to run and Tony almost suggests Harley's, that's who he needs right now. Someone to hold him up, someone who always tells him there's a way to build out of it. Clint pilots the quinjet and tells them they're going to a safe-house.

They arrive at the farm and there's kids there. But they aren't his.

"These are smaller agents," Tony states looking at the kids, the only kid he's ever been able to deal with comfortably is Harley.

"Sorry to barge in," Steve tells Laura who's smiling.

"We would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed," Tony quips.

"Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off SHIELD's files, I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low," Clint replies

Thor leaves, citing business about his vision. Tony knows that there must be some level of truth in his as well if Thor thinks there's something.

He goes to the phone and Clint and Natasha tell him that he can't use it, Ultron will find them.

"I'm going to connect to extremis, I don't care what you think. He has the most secure line on the planet, I made sure, I need to talk to him," Tony tells the team. Tony won't tell them who he's calling.

"More secrets Stark?" Steve asks.

"My kid," he huffs and turns around from the gaping looks, only Bruce knows of Harley and comes to stand next to him, putting a comforting arm around his waist, Tony is happy he's almost calm again.

"Harley," Tony breathes when the phone is answers, sagging in Bruce's grip, trying to ignore the team's stares.

"Tony? What's wrong?" The boy asks.

"There's nothing to build, H," Tony states, cryptic because of the onlookers.

"There's always storming to build," Harley reminds him.

"Its the thing I built," Tony chokes back a sob.

"Nothing will kill you. Burn it out, Tony then come see me, yeah?"

"Of course," Tony breathes, "JARVIS may never be back, Har,"

"But-" Harley starts.

"Right in the programming, his core, Harley,"

"Oh I'm so sorry," Harley sobs, footsteps are heard, he must be going upstairs. Emily is put on the phone.

"If extremis can be beaten with snow, there's a way out here," Harley tries for humour and Tony gives a weak chuckle. They say their goodbyes, Emily's sweet voice last.

"What did he say?" Bruce asks.

"Did you know," Tony starts, "that kid saved my life three times in one day," Bruce shakes his head.

"Department stores are the best places to buy weapons parts," Tony laughs weakly and sits down, everyone is looking at him strangely he wants to laugh or cry. He's not sure which.

He goes outside to help Rogers. Bruce goes to talk to Natasha.

"Sometimes my teammates don't tell me things," Steve grumbles as they cut wood. Tony's in a petty mood again.

"Seems like you walked away all right," Tony says bitterly, thinking of J.

Laura sends him to see Fury, he isn't even nearly surprised.

"Artificial intelligence. You never even hesitated," Fury accused. He's wearing slightly more inconspicuous clothing and a beanie, looking his age for once. It makes Tony feel even more tired.

"Look, it's been a really long day, like, Eugene O'Neill long, so how's about we skip to the part where you're useful?" Tony sighs standing near Fury who sits down.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you're going to shut him down," Fury almost sounds pleading. He also is demanding. Tony doesn't want to shut Ultron down. He knows he should but he also knows he doesn't have the power to alone. They'll have to destroy him. Tony is also sure he'll probably try again just from the basics first.

"You're not the director of me," he goes on the defensive tactic.

"I'm not the director of anybody. I'm just an old man, who cares very much about you," Fury states and Tony almost wants to hug him. But he won't. Tony knows he needs more support but he also knows Fury isn't one of those people that unconditionally want nothing from him.

"And I'm the man who killed the Avengers. I saw it. I didn't tell the team, how could I? I saw them all dead, Nick. I felt it. The whole world, too. It's because of me. I wasn't ready. I didn't do all I could," Tony tells him, he won't tell anyone else save maybe Rhodey, he knows this.

"The Maximoff girl, she's working you, Stark. Playing on your fear," and Tony knows this to be true, his worst fear- failure, being able to do nothing presented to him with the ability for Ultron to come along.

"I wasn't tricked, I was shown. It wasn't a nightmare, it was my legacy. The end of the path I started us on, he says, the start being the wormhole. He knows what he saw has some truth, even Thor knew it.

It's a long day and Tony is happy to curl up next to Bruce at the end of it.

They have to get Helen but the body Ultron was making is already being activated, the yellow mind stone a point of wonder in it's forehead. A hacker faster than Ultron arrives and Tony doesn't allow himself to hope. But it is JARVIS and Tony is so happy but I doesn't last.

Tony and Bruce stand by the Android being created.

"Our ally-" Tony tells him, smiling. JARVIS is back.

"And you just assume that JARVIS' operational matrix can beat Ultron's?" Bruce asks, Tony knows J is stronger.

"This is the end of the line," Tony tells him and as much as he hates calling Bruce a monster he knows that he isn't taking about the Hulk, they both do so it's marginally better. Thor sides with him as Bruce panics and Steve shouts. Tony does what he knew he would, what he didn't tell Fury, he doesn't shut it down.

Ultron is being put in too quickly, they have to unceremoniously shove JARVIS into the Android and JARVIS dies again and this time it truly is Tony's fault. He has to try very hard not to cry when the Android opens his eyes and he speaks in JARVIS'S voice but isn't-. He chokes and forces himself to move. Vision doesn't want to kill Ultron, says he's unique.

Tony uploads Friday into the main servers so she can run the suit. It's not that difficult but he'll have to teach her how to do everything else that J did. He tries not to dwell.

Steve goes for inspiration speech, "All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done, and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right," he tells them.

He tries stop stall Ultron as they evacuate but Ultron has the same plan, the extra Vibranium he uses to lift the city. FRIDAY tells him what he already knows, if it gets high enough when the city falls the impact would be global extinction.

They fight in the middle of Sokovia, a now floating city. The fight is ridiculous but Tony knows that now Vision helped him wipe Ultron's outside control defeating him won't be so difficult. Tony has to figure out how to stop the city from falling while the others evacuate. They protect the church well. Ultron meets his end at the hands of his former ally. Tony knows how to blow up the city, it'll stop the impact range. He has to wait for the okay though and it gets more difficult every second.

He can admit when they're on his side Wanda's powers are magnificent.

Ultron gets steadily ripped to pieces until he is defeated and the city is in pieces, he and Thor having destroyed it.  
Bruce leaves but Tony knows he'll be back. Natasha tried to talk the hulk down but he left with a 'Banner call Tin Man'.  
Vision sounds like JARVIS and it pains Tony.

He cleans up his mess, cleaning up Sokovia and explaining the mess with the scepter. The public aren't happy but they never are. Tony knows nothing good can come of this and the governments must be scheming.

He says at least everyone in Sokovia lived and he'll help pay for everything.

He cleans up the mess with the Hulk. He tells the public how it was the Scarlet Witch who now changed sides.

For Wanda he tries to make her an American citizen but the government don't take kindly to mass murders, he gets her a sort of work visa instead. As long as she fights the good fight, she can stay in the compound on American soil.

He leaves the Avengers but stays Iron Man. Rhodey tells him there's a lot of hate for him at the New facility, Tony laughs himself stupid then tells Bruce when he calls.

Tony advances his baby girl, adding firewalls and more secure main servers. FRIDAY isn't JARVIS but he loves her. She has a particularly venomous protective streak and fondly calls him 'boss' the bots are confused about death but take to her quickly. FRIDAY is dormant I the new facility, keeping the place running and occasionally getting stuff for Avengers she doesn't mind. She talks to Vision a lot but asks him not to tell the others, they don't like Tony's creations, Vision is confused by this. FRIDAY keeps the mansion clean and everything electrical in top shape. There's a lab there for Tony, underground and brilliant but unused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people have asked me (not just in this but my other kindle written fanfics) if I could put more space between paragraphs and speech. I prefer it that way but unfortunately I can't change it on my kindle notes. I'll probably change it whenever I get word put back on my computer. Sorry :(  
> Three or four more chapters, I thought it'd be less but it turns out I had started a Steve POV chapter that I didn't know about?  
> \- thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	3. Did You Know?

Tony keeps in touch with some of the team. He helps Vision every so often with his mind powers connecting to the internet, he knows how overwhelming that can be.

He has mixed feelings towards Vision, he loves him like a son, knows he mostly is but he sounds so much like JARVIS it hurts. As time moves forward it becomes less the latter and more the former.

He meets up with Natasha for coffee or drinks every fortnight, they have girly nights where they chat and watch terrible movies, they still don't particularly open up but learn to reach behind the pointless words they spout. Tony knows Natasha hides a lot, doesn't even think anything could be about him.

He doesn't talk to Steve unless he's at the compound, usually visiting Rhodey. Steve tries to reach out but Tony's having none of it. He doesn't talk to the Falcon and outright avoids Maximoff.

He calls Harley and visits him once a month. He loved Emily and their mother too. Harley does bits with the suits and Tony brings him pieces of non-dangerous tech to play with.

Eight months after Ultron they get the news of Mrs Keener's cancer. She has two years they say. Tony promises to take care of the kids when she's gone.

Bruce calls at least once a week, giving Tony updates in exchange for updates. Tony misses his presence but knows Bruce needs to be away from densely populated civilization until he gets back into a better, Hulk-friendly headspace.

It seems like no time at all has passed when the Accords some about. He's internally screaming the whole time, why did they let the witch out without full control? He is forced to agree with Ross, he hates the man and already has loads of incriminating documents but he knows the Avengers need government oversight.

He sits in the back of the meeting, working on his headache which isn't being helped by extremis any.

"- there are some that prefer the word vigilantes," Ross is saying.

"What would you call us Mr Secretary?" Natasha asks.

"How about dangerous?" He answers, and Tony has to think he's right. They are dangerous, especially on their own with no guidance.

Complicated documents like these don't come around over night and they've been in the making since Sokovia.

The Scarlet Witch not having full control of her powers and killing a couple of families in Lagos with a bomb, protecting Rogers gives the opening that has been waited for.

Tony is brought into it because he detail works closely with the Avengers, and is still largely hero on his own. He is also the one who knows the most about politics and so will be the best one to truly understand at accords.

Ross leaves them to think.

Vision is talking about how there is a connection between us and the crimes we fight.

"Conflict breeds catastrophe," Vision states, "oversight is not something that can be dismissed outright," Tony lies on a sofa nursing his headache and channeling extremis into it.

"You're being uncharacteristically non verbal," Natasha states.

Tony shows them Charles Spencer, trying for a reaction. He shows them the reality of what they do and no matter how hard they try they can't save everyone. It means the governments don't like them and they want some say in where they go. Tony doesn't see what the big deal is.

Steve doesn't agree with him, he thinks the documents will be tying their hands and taking their power. He goes on and on about agendas.

Tony thinks that is ridiculous, the document is pretty tight, sure but it can be amended, Tony was born into this kind of stuff and could do it easily, if over a long period of time. Also that the governments aren't completely stupid, they will have some idea of what constitutes the Avengers being needed, they will be sent in, they will just have to report to someone. It could even go through SHIELD when it is brought back from the underground.

"If we sign this we give up our right to chose," Steve states. Tony shakes his head.

"If we don't do this now it will be done to us," Tony tells him. He knows saying that they get their pick of the governments ideas will do nothing. Even if it is true, will so many countries and so many ideas, they'll get support whatever they pick.

"One hand on the wheel," Natasha describes it as.

He keeps trying to argue with Rogers who is stupidly stubborn, unable to compromise when Steve gets a text, he leaves straight away.

Minutes later Tony gets a call from Sharon. Aunt Peggy is dead. Tony is heartbroken but doesn't go to the funeral, he doesn't want to explain it to Steve, it's too personal. Soulmate or no, Steve isn't privvy to that information. He also doesn't want to draw attention to his bond with Peggy or to the funeral. Also the face that he hates Sharon. He's sure she only called out of politeness. He distinctly remembers her a bit like Steve but spoilt. She always had to get her own way and can't imagine that going down well in her line of work, she probably barely follows orders.

Tony instead, focuses on to the Accords, writing amendments into the documents in green scribble, needing it down to be rewritten and gone over again then sent off to the UN. He doesn't even care about Steve seeing his handwriting, he knows Steve won't read the document. He knows he's gonna use Peggy's old saying of planting yourself like a tree and he's gonna do just that. Except he'll be doing it against the whole world and not with a tree, but with a wall.

They go to Vienna to sign the Accords.

Tony feels uneasy with all these important people here, he brings FRIDAY in one of the Iron Legion to stand behind him and he scans the area using extremis to find anything.

The meeting is starting well, T'chaka standing at the podium and telling them about the Sokovia Accords and why they're here. Tony's internal alarms go off as he silences a large amount of parts for explosives being set.

"Get down!" He screams, FRIDAY directing the suit to the Wakandan monarchy and protecting them as the front of the building explodes.

Twelve people die and dozens were injured, T'Challa, standing by the window ran and is fine. T'Chaka got behind the stand but was injured, large head wound, cut through his abdomen. He was saved but in a coma. T'Challa wants revenge for the people and goes off for Barnes, the only suspect of the bombing.

Steve goes too. Tony wasn't there but from what he was told, it was a shitstorm. So many injured police officers and civilians. He sends them all to the best hospitals SI has.

Tony tells Vision to keep Wanda inside, away from the literal witch-hunt outside. Her powers cannot be involved.  
He goes to talk to Steve again. He tells him what's going to happen, the Accords are whether he likes it or not.

"That's cold," Steve tells him.

"Warmer than jail," Tony remains firm.

"If you sign we can make the last 24 hours legit," Tony pleads. Steve has to see he isn't going to get out of it. Wanda comes up and Steve thinks he's completely out of order. Wanda just needs to stay indoors until he has the Accords under so he can get people to back off her.

"I'm doing what needs to be done to save off something worse," Tony exclaimed.

"You keep telling yourself that," and Tony leaves, unable to handle the idiocy.

The electricity is taken out, Tony feels none of it. The arc reactor glows beneath his shirt as he looses his jacket. FRIDAY keeps behind him as he tries to get eyes on Barnes. He gets out.

"Please tell me you brought a suit," Natasha asks. She knows the Legions aren't the best for active fighting and FRIDAY can't get fine control without his help. They run to Barnes, Tony shaking off his waistcoat and shirt as they go, absinthe top part of the extremis-proof undershirt he wears as he heats up. He activates the gauntlet watch.

He grabs Bucky's gun and it melts, just after he fires into the gauntlet. The Soldier's arm wavers under the heat of Tony's hand, he is thrown across the room.

He almost gets shot and extremis heals the cracked bones around his eye and ribs quickly.

Steve, Bucky and Sam leave, Tony begs to be able to get them.

"You alright?" Natasha asks.

"Always," he yes her.

Natasha's goes to recruit the Black Panther and Tony goes to Queens.

Peter is clearly surprised and they talk alone.

"Crime fighting spider," Tony noted.

"Spider boy?" He guesses.

"Spider-Man," Peter grumbles. Tony upgrades the suit and it's in production quickly.

He has so many compromises for Rogers when they go to the airport. He needs Spiderman to stay back but web them so they can't escape, he has a couple of the Legion for extra fighting but the web's would be so useful for bringing them in. He doesn't want to fight.

He and Rhodey land, two of the Iron Legion behind them. He fries their chopper.

"It's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think it's weird?" Tony asks his friends.

"Definitely weird," Rhodey agrees.

"Indeed, Boss," FRIDAY states over the speakers.

The Black Panther and Black Widow land by them. Only Rogers stands in front of them, Tony's got FRIDAY searching.

Steve tries to tell him about Zemo but it's too late, he should have told them all he had at first and they could have helped. Now it's just bring them in or they're shot on sight.

"You've been busy," Steve comments.

"And you've been a complete idiot," Tony growls.

They're still arguing and there's a part of Tony that's just laughing at fate as it shows him how wrong it can be. Screw having a soulmate. He plans a message for Bruce.

"I'm trying-" Tony chokes, "I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart," Tony pleads.

"You did that when you signed," Steve is cold, hard. Tony has has enough.

"You're gonna turn Barnes in and you're gonna come with us because it's us or a bunch of J-SOC guys with no compunction about being impolite," Tony tells and still no one listens.

He gives the signal and Spiderman swings in, stealing the shield as an act of power.

The fight is staying equal but it threatens to topple against them. They call in Vision and another suit, one already destroyed. Tony tries hard to feel bad about it but with their choice made, how can he?

"Look kid, there's a lot going on here that you don't understand," Steve tries on Spiderman, Tony can hear him though the teen's comm and almost wants to laugh.

"Mr Stark said you'd say that," Peter comments.

He webs Steve's legs, "he also said go for your legs," Peter continues. Tony knows he's far smarter than the others understand, he knows bits like at about all of them.

Ant man takes down some of his weapons but is quickly dealt with in his suit. He then turns massive. He grabs Rhodes.

"Give me back my Rhodey!" He screams and attacks harder.

They win but Rogers and Barnes run.

FRIDAY gives him some info on Zemo as he heads to the Raft after putting an awake Rhodes in the hospital and Peter back to America. He tells Natasha to run in no uncertain terms and she leaves. Tony almost wishes she hadn't.

He turns up at the RAFT, turning security sound off.

Tony is more hurt than he should be when Sam says he never admits his mistakes, he thought that was one redeeming quality of his, he stared down his mistakes and tried to make amends, right?

"The futurist is here! He knows what's best for you whether you like it or not!" Clint yells at him and Tony seethes, skin tinting orange, not that anyone sees. That's what they're doing, not caring whether the people want them in their countries, barging in anyway. Tony is listening. He tells him that he broke the law on hi own.

He has no clue why Clint came back, the Accords had nothing to do with him, it was sign or retire, he was already retired. Tony snaps because Clint should be being a father, Tony had a dad who cared more about work than him and it wasn't fun, he'd try to save anyone that.

He flies to Siberia in secret, telling FRIDAY that if shit goes sideways to call Vision immediately and discreetly.  
He had a feeling it would.

"You seem a little defensive," Tony tells the soldiers.

Zemo sits in a bunker, the winter soldiers dead and plays them a video. Tony sees his mother strangled by the person in front of him.

"Howard!" She has screamed.

Steve lies to him, Tony's anger spikes.

"Don't bullshit me Rogers, did you know?" He snarled.

"Yes," and Tony attacks. Steve tries to get Barnes to run but Tony will fight until he runs out of power. He distinctly doesn't think about the arc in his chest.

"Move!" He yells at Steve, still not wanting to really injure him. He just wants to hurt the two-time they hurt him.

"It wasn't him!" But Tony can see it. Bucky starts to climb, Tony fights Steve, clinging and ragging, punching and kicking each other.

"Do you even remember them?" He cries and he holds Bucky, having caught him when he fired the missile to bring the roof down.

"I remember all of them," and although it calms Tony's rage towards him all he can see is Barnes hand ending his mother's life and his soulmate lying to him about something so important.

"This isn't gonna change what happened," Steve tells him and he needs Bucky to say something, not that it will make it better.

They're fighting back on flat ground, Steve against Tony and Tony is glowing. Trying to heal his breaking everything, with no luck as he doesn't stop.

"I don't care. He killed my mum," Tony decided, throwing another punch. He still doesn't want to kill the two but Steve looks so angry and Bucky killed his mother and he just can't stop. FRIDAY hasn't sent a signal out yet.

Bucky gets him against the wall, Tony tries to fight back but his only available weapon is the unibeam. Bucky tries to pull out the arc and without the speakers Tony screams. Not again. The unibeam fires automatically, it can't be taken, not again. He goes down.

It's Tony's repulsors against Steve's shield and if he weren't so afraid and angry and betrayed it would have looked awesome with all the sparks and light.

Steve starts to win, Tony can't beat his punches, his legs out of the way. FRIDAY helps.

"Counter measures ready," she tells him. He smiles.

"Lets kick his ass," encouraged, grabbing the shield and deflecting it away into the floor.

"He's my friend," Steve tells him. Tony knows what he has to say, it's been written over his heart since he was born.

"So was I," Tony was winning the fight but realistically he knew that he couldn't beat two of them, Barnes would get back up and tip the scales. He had both of them down.

"Stay down," he warned Rogers, deep in the pit of his heart, he didn't want to hurt him more.

"I could do this all day," Steve struggles to his knees.

Tony goes to throw another punch when Bucky grabs his leg from the floor, he stumbles and Steve pounced.

Tony's helmet is smashes off and his blue eyes stare at Rogers furious face in horror, he lifts his gauntlet and he repulsor is charged but he can't fire, he's lost his drive. He lowers his arm. His skin glows with the effort of keeping him in one piece and Steve smashes the shield into the arc. Either thinking it won't reach the other or not caring. He gets up and Tony struggles to breath, pulling energy into his cracked heart from the suit, hoping it last until Vision gets here, he knows FRIDAY would have sent the signal the moment she lost connection.

"That shield doesn't belong to you! You don't deserve it, my father made that shield," he shouts, struggling to draw breath. The shield is dropped without even turning back as the soldiers struggle out. He lays back down, knowing it's better for the broken arc.

Extremis starts to work it's magic on his crushed ribs, literally as he can feel the pieces, it will take weeks to heal. He waits for Vision. The light from his arc flickering from behind the dead one is the only light in the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the Sharon hate guys, I actually quite like her and I prefer having her on Tony's side but this is far more necessary for my storyline. She couldn't be with Steve and be close to Tony as well I think.  
> Leave me comments and kudos. Thanks for reading, I'll update in a couple of days hopefully. It's sort of short and it's Steve's POV.  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	4. He's My Friend.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve's POV!

Steve Rogers loved the idea of soulmates, that there was someone specially made for you and you were made for someone. A perfect fit. It took longer than normal for Steve to grow big enough that the words stretched across his abdomen but it always seemed squashed, like the words to the left of his naval should be larger.

There were too lines on his lower abdomen, 'He's my friend' then 'I could do this all day' underneath it. He thought that he wouldn't mind having two soulmates but would prefer them to be of equal importance, his one and only to love.

He always loved the idea of a soulmate. He tried to imagine him (clearly by the handwriting) tall, strong, handsome, clever, funny, the kindest person. Kind is Steve's must have though, he has to be with someone fighting on his side, for the little guy, for good.

He met Bucky at six, he knew straight away that the friend written on his stomach was Bucky. He loved that Bucky was this important to him.

He always had an urge to fight, to prove his worth and stand up for himself, no matter how few fights he won, Bucky was always there as back up anyway.

When the war started he longed to help, if everyone else was, he had no right to do anything but help too. The serum made him bigger, enhanced all of him. His need to fight, to protect surged as well as his body, the words finally seemed to fit into him. He distantly hoped Peggy would be his soulmate but wouldn't know until they spoke their words, he didn't dwell on it, there was a war to win. He knew deep down she wasn't any way, he writing was too small, delicate, unlike the large, looping text written into his skin.

When news of Bucky's capture came in Steve knew he there was no way he was going to just sit there. Peggy and Howard flew him to where he needed to go and Steve rescued all of the survivors. He couldn't contact anyone as the device was broken so they walked, drove and got lifts back to the base. Everyone was shocked but Bucky looked so proud and so Steve was too.

They formed the Howling Commandos and Steve knew none of these people were destined for him but loved them like brothers.

He saved Bucky once but couldn't save him twice.

With Bucky gone and no soulmate to see, Steve didn't even look for other options. He comforted Peggy with a useless promise and plunged the plane into the ocean.

He was awake for a week and still staring at his words that hadn't faded when news of Loki and the tesseract came to him. He was so angry, they were messing with forces unknown, just like Hydra. He snapped a lot but tried to keep to orders. He felt a pull towards Tony he couldn't explain any other way than Howard, he loved that he saw so much of his friend in his kid, there was something to hold onto.

He said some awful things but didn't know how to apologise.

"Big man in a suit of armour, take that away and what are you?" He asked. He still thinks it's kinda true but Tony proved he can be selfless and he knows Tony's really quite smart. It makes him think of Howard in the best ways.

They fix the helicarrier in sinc and something slots into Steve's chest (not that he knew at that point).

They defeat Loki as a team and eat as a team and Steve starts to believe he can live in the future.

Hydra in SHIELD was difficult for him to deal with, he didn't know where to turn, or who to trust. He couldn't reach Tony who was still cooling down from the Mandarin and it felt like plunging needles into his heart whenever he saw Tony and Bruce together.

So instead, he and Natasha recruited Sam, the retired army Falcon. They know he has nothing to do with Hydra. They take it down but not without its repercussions, the helicarriers fall in D.C. and Tony screams at them about damages and loss of life for about an hour.

They have to dump all the files on the net, Hyrda is now a known threat but SHIELD went down with it.

This is all overshadowed but the fact that Bucky is alive.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" He had asked, Steve's heartbreaking. But he had remembered, he hadn't killed Steve, he had saved him.

Steve was so happy but Bucky didn't stay. Sam spent some time with the Avengers and the two of them and Natasha started the hunt for Bucky. Nobody mentioned a piece of psycho brain saying Tony's parents were murdered, no doubt by the Winter Soldier.

He doesn't tell Tony. He tells himself it's because he doesn't want to drag up old pains and he tells himself it's because he isn't sure it was Bucky. Besides it wasn't Bucky, it was the Winter Soldier, who is gone now.

Ultron is created and he is so disappointed in Tony not only for creating it but for not telling them.

He watches while Tony takes Ultron back and can do nothing, he is disabled by Wanda, a vision of a life with Peggy plaguing him in a dream. Ultron said he can't live without war, maybe he was right. Steve needs a purpose, something to fight for.

He sees Clint's family and wonders where the guy who wanted it went. (Steve still thinks about his soulmate, imagining them being smaller than him now and still, so, so kind of heart).

Steve pays no mind to Sokovia's destruction, relieved the guy who wanted to wipe out life on the planet is gone.

Bruce leaves and Steve tries to ask Tony on a date, it doesn't go well.

"I'm still with Bruce, he'll call and he'll come back," Tony tells him.

Tony leaves and Steve feels a longing.

Steve tells him that he thinks a different person came out of the ice, family, stability just wasn't for him anymore. Tony almost looks sad.

Vision, Sam, Wanda and Rhodes replace the Avengers that left. Rhodes loves Tony and won't report about him to Steve, FRIDAY is still around even if she doesn't actively talk to him.

People want to put them under government supervision and Steve will not be put under another's Agenda again. He fights viciously and brutally and runs to Bucky when he is found. He will not let him be shot on sight, not his best friend, not his only link to the past.

They are captured but not before they destroy a main road. At least Bucky's alive, Steve thinks. Tony still won't listen, the governments just want them as hit men, this would take away their freedom.

They find out that there are more Winter Soldiers, Bucky tells Sam and Steve.

"Worse," he tells them and Steve is horrified. They recruit Clint, Wanda and Ant Man and run to get a copter to Siberia.

"They're evacuating the air port," Sam tells him.

"Stark," he already knows.

Natasha lets them go, knowing she'll regret it, she does it anyway.

"Do you really want to punch your way out of this one?" She had asked him. He had no answer. There's a voice in his head that sounds like a screwed merge of Bucky and Tony suggests it's the only thing it's good at.

"God's righteous man," Ultron had mocked.

They took the plane to Siberia, ready and reeling to fight the other five super soldiers and take in Zemo. In Steve's mind they'd go back to the compound to open arms, apologies and understanding. The others would be let out and Steve would have been proven right, the Accords tied their hands, the other Winter Soldiers would have gotten out if Steve hadn't gone.

The reality is different.

Tony comes and Steve is pleased but wary. Bucky stands guard until Tony tells them he's on his own, outside the Accords and Steve thinks, great he admits I'm right. And he smiles, thinking everything will be fine.

"If it's any consolation, they died in their sleep," Zemo taunts from the bunker. There's a screen that the trio walk towards.

"I recognise that road," Tony gasps at the screen. Steve's blood runs cold.

"It wasn't him!" Steve tries, he keeps yelling. Tony goes crazy and once again the disappointment outweighs the hope, affection and camaraderie. Bucky and he fight back, fluid as ever and Steve knows that Bucky is the most important thing. Always was.

"He's my friend," he states, short and determined. He protects his friend and doesn't even register the words coming out of his mouth at the time. An almost resigned note comes through Iron Man's speakers as Tony replies.

"So was I," and Tony jumps up again. He fights determined and fierce but Steve is winning. Steve is so angry, Tony attacked his best friend, his link. Suddenly Tony has the upper hand but he doesn't seem to want to carry on. Tony fights on anyway, it doesn't even register through Steve's anger- filled mind that at this close range he would be dead if Tony shot a missile.

"Stay down, final warning," Tony growls.

"I could do this all day," Steve pants.

He breaks the Arc Reactor, thinking it won't reach the one underneath, it doesn't register what the arc means in his mind. He walks away with Bucky to find T'Challa outside with a plane and a captured Zemo.

"I am done letting Vengeance consume me," T'Challa tells them,

"My father will be furious once he wakes but you may have asylum in Wakanda,"

They board on the plane and it takes minutes for Steve to calm down, Bucky looks devastated, wide eyed as he breathes deeply. Steve meets his eyes, the both think the same thing.

"He's my soulmate, Buck," Steve sobs.

They go to Wakanda and a day later Natasha is found at the border. Two days later they break the others out of the RAFT.

They're all fuming at Tony who they've had no word of. Steve sends a letter. He purposely doesn't mention the soulmate situation although Tony surely knows.

A month after that, T'Chaka wakes and there is word of Tony. He's working on the Accords, Ross is already gone. Steve doesn't care, they're still not going to sign the papers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys. I've officially ran out of pre-planned and half-written stuff though, I just have a list. Comment anything you want to see btw. Ima make a rough plan for the rest of this (maybe three chapters) then I'll properly write the next chapter. I'm gonna try to have the next chapter up by Tuesday but it may be up to a week, just a warning.  
> I'm not as secure on Steve's character as Tony's so tell me any major flaws in his personality. Should I do another Steve chapter about their time in Wakanda, post-Siberia? I'm not sure. Technically I didn't even plan to have this, I just ended up writing a basic plot that I forgot about and deciding it was a good idea so I finished it.  
> Hope you enjoyed this so far,  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	5. Night, Kid.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After.

Tony woke up in one of the medical rooms in the compound. Helen Cho is next to him and his vision is cloudy as he blinks open his eyes.

"Tony," someone whispers and Tony laughs, voice raw and scratchy. He turns his head and sees Bruce, smiling sadly but present. Tony pulls him down for a hug. He smiles into the kiss then gasps as his chest twinges.

He's been asleep for forty five hours they say. He is told that the internal bleeding was great as the shrapnel was pushed around, inwards by the arc breaking then outwards by extremis. He looks at the arc and knows he's gonna have to replace the casing. It had crumpled in on him, luckily FRIDAY told Vision to bring emergency repair stuff. Vision had to straighten it as much as possible with pliers. He says he'll tell them what happened whenever everyone is around. They update him on Ross's dick moves and leave him to fix himself.

He spends three hours channelling extremis to fix the rest of his broken bones then he gets up and goes to the workshop. 

First he flattens out the arc case and puts a new one in. He specifically doesn't think about anything that's happened recently.

He wipes Steve from his mind as he blared two types of music and flights the room with holograms. He speaks with FRIDAY and the noise allows him to focus on his work.

He pulls up the specs for robotic prosthetic legs, for dealing with paralysis. He had a basic structure but needed to edit them for Rhodey, he could have miniature arc reactors where others could not. He calls Bruce down.

"Hey babe," Tony greets, "I think it's time we put Ross away, yeah?" He asks, focusing on one thing first, Bruce looks unsure.

"I've got all the files ready, I'll leak some onto the internet but I'll use others legitimately for our case. I'm sorry to ask this but would you testify against him?" Tony tucks himself against Bruce's side.

"Yeah, it'll be hard, and I don't particularly want to, but I know things will run smoother if we have an actual witness," Bruce sighs, wrapping Tony in a hug.

"I'm glad you're back," Tony kisses him. They work on the legs together for an evening then go to bed when Tony has them in production, ready for when Rhodey gets back the day after. Tony can't quite sleep so he doses sitting up in bed, listening to the news FRIDAY is displaying. It's about Leipzig and what the media knows. Bruce has his head in Tony's lap and is snoozing peacefully.

Tony assumes he must have dozed off because he wakes up screaming. He can see Steve above him, such anger, the shield comes down and he screams, sitting up. FRIDAY tells him the weather and time, her usually calm voice sounding scared. In Tony's jolt Bruce is thrown off him, is now scratching at his eyes, reaching for his glasses.

"I have something to tell you," Tony starts, he has to do this now, now that he's said his words to Steve the chances are Steve said his words too.

"What?" Bruce asks, groggy.

"My soulmate is Steve," Tony signs, Bruce nods.

"Does he know?" Bruce asks, going for uncaring and failing. He sounds tense and expecting.

"The chances are he spoke his words in the fight. I never told him. Bruce I don't want to be with him. All those things I said about my soulmate were true. I love you," and Bruce agrees, they kiss and carry on their day.

Bruce does yoga as Tony heads to the lab, mindlessly working until breakfast. He calls Harley at the table.

"Hey Harley," Tony sings as the boy gasps.

"What the fuck has been happening, dad?" Harley asks. He started calling Tony dad as a joke when Emily asked if Tony was their father. Emily issues it almost constantly and Harley has a tendency to use it whenever he's stressed or emotional.

"Oh Captain Asshole and company decided he knew better than 117 countries. We destroyed an airport and they ran," they have a long conversation wherein Emily and Harley cry about losing him too and Tony promises them they won't.

"So what I actually called for. Wanna come live in the compound for a few weeks? I could use some back up, Em can come as well. Ask your mum, tell her I'll keep you up with school work, it'll be like a trail run. I just need a bit of stability for the first round," Tony asks. Harley leaves to talk to his mother and eventually everyone agrees. Four hours later Tony's plane has left to pick the kids up.

He visits Rhodey at the hospital, tells him about the legs and gets his release papers loading. He spends about half an hour trying to apologise while Rhodey growls at him. Rhodey insists it isn't his fault but Tony was the reason he was brought into the mess.

"I don't blame anyone but it was Rogers who said to fight and it was the fight's fault. It wasn't anyone's fault really. I can't blame something, besides, you're gonna get me walking again yeah?" While Rhodes checks himself out he visits Pepper and Happy at the tower, walking into Pepper's office.

"This shit is a PR nightmare but luckily most people are on your side, as you sided with their decision. T'Challa removed all charges of terrorism from Barnes but he's still wanted with the Avengers for breaking the accords. T'Chaka isn't awake yet and Ross is fuming. I've scheduled a UN meeting for two days time for you to discuss the future of the accords. That's all I can do though, I'm sure you'll be fine now you're awake," she rants Tony has some input but is just happy that she knows he's fine.

"Okay, after the UN meeting, come to the compound, I need to talk to everyone," he tells her as he leaves.

That night the Avengers break out of the RAFT. Tony puts Ross on hold. Bruce stands next to him, trying to cover his laughter.  
Harley is there an hour later, pulling Emily's hand excitedly. They have a tea party and Tony smiles. Bruce feels like an old married man.

Tony cooks dinner for everyone, Rhodey is pleased because it means Tony isn't falling apart. He knows this could change as soon as he actually spills what happened in Siberia. Vision's told everyone Barnes' arm and Cap's shield were there.

Tony gets a letter. He screams and gives it to Rhodey to read. Bruce burns it as Tony spends six minutes expertly taking each part of the phone to pieces. The parts are put into a sandwich bag and put next to his phone.

"I know what I'm gonna do with them," Tony tells his friends. He takes his jet to Siberia with the pieces in his pocket and a shovel at his side. He brings a tiny black flag. He didn't bring the suit but does bring one of the Iron Legion. He goes into the base and picks up the SHIELD and the arm. Outside is freezing but Tony dressed for it. He walks a little way away from the opening. He digs for a long time but the hole is large. He places the arm, shield and phone in and packs in the dirt. The flag is placed into the ground above it.

He wakes up screaming in the night, reaching to hold the solid, fixed arc reactor. Bruce sits next to him and drags blunt nails through his hair.

The day after is spent relaxing with Harley and Emily in the workshop. He shows Emily how to build a simple circuit board and let's her place all the wires in place on her own. No hot tools for the nine year old. Harley welds it for her, lots of safety equipment, he's five years older so Tony allows it. They are very proud. Bruce cooks them a very mild curry for dinner while Tony and FRIDAY discuss how to streamline the legs for public consumption and possibly incorporate the transmitter for them into Rhodey's spine rather than it sitting on his back, less of the legs would be needed, the barest pieces of metal to help him move better.

He and Vision use their powers to slip some evidence of Ross's work smashing through human rights laws onto the internet. Comments in webpages, blogs, reddit pages all hold bits of this info. The internet goes crazy.

Tony wakes up the morning of the UN meeting half under Bruce. Both are groggy, walking up before their alarms and yawning. Bruce doesn't move, instead tucks his head back into Tony's neck. Tony feels so content, he smiles and rubs a hand down Bruce's arm. He hums gently, closing his eyes.

"Marry me," Bruce mumbles.

"Okay," Tony agrees. It's easy and its great in a way it wouldn't be with Rogers. Tony is sure.  
He gets to the UN meeting on time, Vision comes with him. Rhodey stays back to babysit and work on slowly standing with his legs.

"I still believe in the accords," Tony tells them.

"However, they are very tight. I need failsafes and I need compromises. I would like to amend the Accords," people easily agree.

"The registration act needs to go," Tony argues. He's there for hours, talking about families and secret identities. They finally agree to put in back into standby as long as Tony monitors all those who are active so he can find them if they break the law. Tony will have to get them to sign, even if it's only in their superhero name.

"Lastly, Ross is a criminal, and I won't work with him," Ross growls from the other end of the conference room. Tony shows some of the evidence. They agree to withdraw him from the accords, he loses his job as Secretary of state and is put on trial. They agree to reconvene in two months to discuss the first amendments and the next people to sign.

Tony walks out trying to keep down his grin. There are paparazzi everywhere, he walks past them and flies off in the suit.

Tony knows Ross as is going to retaliate, he just decides not to think about it, instead thinking about the obstacle ahead. He tells FRIDAY to watch the dick like a hawk.

In the compound everyone is waiting for him in the living room. Even Peter, who he had only texted the day before. Everyone sat on the sofas in front of the television.

"I said I'd tell you what happened in Siberia, so I will. I would guess that you already know how it ended, the evidence was very much present," everyone nods, "I went to the RAFT to ask Sam where Barnes and Rogers flew off to. It turns out there was a bit of evidence to support them, so I did as I knew I had to and went to help. Zemo was sitting in the bunker, having already killed the super soldiers. He showed us a video," Tony shook and sat down, holding onto Bruce's hand so hard his blunt nails dug into the physicist's flesh.

"The Winter Soldier killed my parents, and I had to watch him strangle my mum. I kinda lost it, especially when I found out Steve knew. I went after Barnes and Rogers tried to stop me. When Barnes went for the reactor the unibeam blew off his arm. I actually had the upper hand against Rogers for a moment and got his shield away from him. Barnes threw it back to him and suddenly the shield was coming down against my helmet and I could see, clearly and without interference the rage in his face. I had the perfect shot but I couldn't bring myself to hurt him, he brought the shield down and left," Tony tries to keep back the sobs, tips his head back and blinks away the tears. Emily has crawled into his lap and has showed her head in his neck. He loves her more, sweet Emily, who's words are clearly a female's handwriting, Emily who shouts "we have to go!" Tony marvels at the togetherness of the subject. She will love her soulmate and Tony will always encourage her to try. Not just to blindly trust fate but to work with it and try.

"Oh Tony," Pepper sighs, her eyes hold tears, a few Harrell down to her cheeks.

"That dick!" Rhodey shouts, standing up on wobbly legs.

"He preaches about honesty and loyalty. Then he does this!" Rhodey is fuming, the only person knowing Tony's words. He screams unintelligible stuff for a few moments. Then takes a deep breath when Harley pokes him in the side. He sits back down. Happy has a similar look on his face. Vision looks confused and sad. Peter looks like he wants to pledge allegiance to Tony.

"You know what the worst part is?" Tony asks. Everyone shakes their head.

"I know, Tones," Rhodey sighs.

"I knew this was coming. I knew at some point the dick would betray me, lie to me," Tony laughs bitterly.

"Tony?" Peter asks.

"I'm gonna tell you all a secret, because it'll come to light at some point. It will because at some point the ducks will come back and they won't keep it quiet, they'll think they can control me with it. Steve douchebag Rogers is my soulmate. You can't see most of it any more but my words were 'don't bullshit me Rogers, did you know?' I said these words when he said he didn't know it was Barnes that murdered my parents. I had another line, when he told me the reason he had to fight was because Bucky was his friend I told him 'so was I'. I've never cared and I never told him. Fate can fuck itself. You need to be with someone because you want to be not because something says you should be. Most soulmates work, a perfect example in front of us, but I love Bruce. Just don't let them use it as an argument in their favour," they have a real sloppy feeling hour until Tony says he's had enough, puts on Star Trek and orders enough pizza to feed a family of bears.

Harley manages to stuff a whole pizza down his throat, as does Tony. Emily falls asleep against him and he falls asleep against Bruce. Positioning himself so he lays on Bruce's chest and Emily lays on his. He wakes three hours later, Rhodey, Happy and Pepper have gone to bed. Peter is sleeping on the floor in front of the TV, he has a cushion under his head and one in his arms. Vision sits on his chair, eyes closed and smelling a lavender cushion Tony had given him when the android said he liked the smell of lavender tea but obviously could never drink it.

Harley is on the armchair closest to Tony's feet and Emily is still in his lap. He sits up, carrying Emily in his arms. He nudges Harley and Peter the sleepy boys trudged along next to him as he brought Emily to bed then put Harley in his bed too.

"Night dad," he had yawned.

"Night, kid," he pulled Peter out to a guest room.

"Dad?" Peter asks, smiling.

"Shut it, Spider boy," Tony laughs. He brought Bruce to bed and told Vision to go to bed then headed to the workshop. With his body fully healed, he no longer needed the sleep and the insomnia was chasing him.

Tony goes down to the workshop and works effortlessly, mindlessly, fully on the next armour. He only has three in operation, two War Machines. He scraps all of them, putting them back to raw materials. It's time to start again.

He brings up the designs for the War Machine and puts in extra arc protection, full hydraulics in the legs and points to where the biopic legs would connect. There is more padding, shock proof, to help with a fall. He adds more but keeps the same shape, same elegance, same weapons. It goes into fabrication immediately, to be painted matte navy and silver.

He brings up the latest Iron Man armour. The arc has more pieces connecting inwards of it, making it impossible to rip out. He considers covering it but the unibeam is good enough as an emergency weapon that it outweighs the need to cover his weakness. He upgrades the repulsors and the wiring. He paints it darker, changing some parts of where the colours go, the faceplate is red but the helmet black, the shoulders and things are too, plating on the outside of his feet and ankles are black as well as a couple of plates on either side of his hips. The rest is red, darker, scarlet or blood in colour. It looks deadlier. He managed to slim it slightly as well, it looks beautiful. He decides it's a start against the nightmares. The suit protected him before, it will now.

The group have communal breakfast the next morning and Pepper sets of, Happy in tow. Peter calls his aunt and asks to stay for a couple of days. He tells her Tony's been injured and she gives in.

He spends a week making contingency plans to put into the accords. He has tea parties with Emily and introduces Harley and Peter, they get along like a house on fire. Tony smiles in the day, making himself busier and busier. Anything to not think about the people sitting on the other side of the planet. He still walks up screaming.

He briefly thinks of Laura, he doubts it's safe on the farm. There were very deep places the location was written. He doesn't dwell though, Clint probably blamed him and so he doubted he'd be welcome. Besides the only asshole who'd go after an innocent family was Ross who Tony was keeping a close eye on.

Tony works for the group, SI, the accords, New developing SHIELD. Peter helps him and Harley on small projects for R&D. Vision is always close, a deep look on his face. Tony doesn't blame him, he's newly experiencing heartbreak.

Tony starts to think he adopts children at important points in his life. Harley then Vision then Peter.

Tony and Spiderman start to make an agreement with the NYPD under the UN that Peter will be on scene as much as possible. He'll notify the station and they'll have thirty seconds to give him the go ahead or not. If he didn't sent get a reply he can go in. Tony starts to make a special communicator for it. Peter helps, asking for what he wants and how it can be improved. Tony will present it at the UN meeting.

Bruce works in his own lab, bits and pieces R&D send him. All residents of the compound spend six hours trying to make a solid metal, slightly stretchy material. They succeed and two thin, 1cm wide bracelets, a larger one for Bruce which will stretch slightly when he Hulks-out and one for Tony which sits snugly on his left wrist, two rings (one for each) are also made out of the substance. The rings are for social or public occasions.

They don't wear them right away but get married the day after, just stinging the papers in an SI office.

Day nine leads to disaster. It's early, eight-ish in the morning and Tony is watching terrible day time TV with Peter. They're laughing and arguing over the family that fights on the screen. It's all so dramatic. FRIDAY breaks them out of their manic laughter.

"Boss, Ross has gone missing," FRIDAY states/, almost scared. She tells him he disappeared in an alley way ten minutes ago. Tony knows he's gonna go on a destructive war rage.

"FRIDAY, ready the jet," he states, getting up, "ask anyone if they wanna come grab some smaller agents," he looks at Peter, who nods.

Harley comes running in.

"Dad! What's this about agents?" He asks.

"Ross has gone AWOL, just in case, I'm moving Laura," he tells the assembled group. They get into the readied jet.

They arrive quickly at the farm, Laura rushing out when she hears the noise.

"Tony, what are you doing here?" She asks.

"I don't care how well Clint thinks you're hidden, you don't have SHIELD's protection and Ross is on a war path. Grab the kids and some stuff and come with me," he tells her. She nods solemnly and does as he asks. He sends Emily and Harley to help her kids and he goes to help her.

"I'm sorry," Tony tells Laura.

"It wasn't your fault, Clint knew what was happening, you sent him a copy of the accords. He knew he was breaking the law," she sounds tired, Tony puts a hand on her back.

They come back with a seven year old girl, an eleven year old boy and a one year old baby. There are two bags/ boxes for each person and they head back to the compound. Tony has the room closest to the stairs, Harley's and Emily's on one side of him with Rhodey across the hall and Peter's is next to that. Vision's is on the floor above, so is Pepper and Happy's. He places Laura on the third living floor, a room for each child, smaller ones and Laura's in the middle.

She integrates herself well.

"Could you do a teaching course?" Tony asks her the next day. She tells him it's a possibility. He asks her so she can home school the kids and Tony's when they move in. She starts immediately.  
T'Chaka wakes up and wishes to meet with him. They set it for two weeks after in the SI tower.

Vision becomes a kind of PA, conspiring with FRIDAY and setting his calendar. He attends every Avengers type meeting with Tony and stays close. Laura's kids join the minion pack. Emily takes to carrying Nathaniel around a lot, very careful.

Two days before the meeting with T'Chaka Tony tells everyone that if they have anything they want send to the others they should write it then for Tony to give over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm completely guessing the Barton kids ages by the way, I have literally no idea of their ages.  
> So it's a pretty long chapter but I'm not sure there's actually anything in it. The next chapter will be more detailed, I'm trying to show more of the characters as I haven't really in this before. Then it'll probably be the second Steve chapter.  
> It will be a week for the next update, I'm fiddling with a WinterSoldier!Tony AU (I'm not sure if I'll post it ever but I wanted one), I have a new SNK one that isn't actually important at all but should be considered and I have far too much school work.  
> Comment if you please and I'm always on Tumblr.  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	6. Don't Worry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it wasn't a week, I spent the afternoon at my brother's and didn't have anything to read so I wrote most of this.

Tony doesn't write any letters but Vision has a note for Wanda and Laura hands him a large envelope with 'Clint' written on it in black permanent marker.

T'Chaka brings T'Challa with him, Tony brings Rhodes.

"Your highness," Tony greets, shaking the king's hand. T'Chaka supports his amendments to the Accords, says he'll help Tony push them through, it's soon after all. It's very professional throughout. Rhodey's trying not to smirk at T'Challa who looks quite uncomfortable, knowing about the fugitives. Tony addresses this at the end.

"I know you have the Avengers," he tells them, taking out the papers. T'Chaka keeps his cool, T'Challa spammers.

"It's the only place nobody would look. I'm guessing you aren't too pleased with your son's decision but I'm not going to oust you. I honestly don't care. As long as they don't avenge anything I won't have to detain them. I just want these to be passed on," Tony tells them, holding out the letters.

The UN meeting goes smoothly. Tony gets all the basic amendments and contingency plans he wants, they're all simple and a first step but they decided to meet every four months to make more and get more people to sign publically. He gets them to agree that if aliens are involved they should be sent is right away. Every delicate is given a communicator, it will allow any country to call for immediate help, type coordinates and a subject and Tony will have FRIDAY reply.

Tony starts two more agreements, one for street heroes, it'll be edited by whichever police department they operate in. It gives the heroes the allotments work on the streets as long as they wreak no more than a street lamp. In which case, they will be called in (masked if their identity is secret). Tony will have to know these people and be able to contact them. Tony adds this to one of Rhodey's jobs as well as Rhodes is named as his successor.

The other is for part time Avengers, people who are too young, busy or untrained to fight full time. They can be called in by any Avengers if the situation calls for it. Hope Pym signs as a part time Avenger, Peter signs both as Spiderman.

T'Challa mails the answers to the letters Tony sent. Vision spends an afternoon blowing things up out of frustration, Tony is confused.

Harley and Emily go home but promise to call and visit as much as possible, Tony says he'll come stay with them for a few days in their next break so he can spend some time with their mother too.

Peter pops in once a week to work in the workshop with Tony or eat pizza with Rhodey.

Tony starts to collect superpowers people.

Hope starts spending the occasional day at the compound, they talk about business.

"My dad hates you," she tells him, but she smiles.

"I know," and he does, Pym hates anything to do with the name Stark.

"I am not my father," he adds.

He speaks to Charles Xavier who tells him he'll negotiate his own agreement. He's told that Charles needs to be able to go as soon as the brotherhood show. He mentions rescue missions, Tony adds it to his list of amendment.

The fantastic four sign but for Doom sightings they must be sent in, or anything to do with space anomalies.

He speaks to all the street heroes he can find. There's a couple of mutants and inhumans across the globe, Daredevil the closest. For the most part they agree to sign separately for their countries and polices as long as there will be ample opportunity to change some things. Tony lets the government's sort that out themselves.

Tony takes in inhumans, mutants, spies and people with powers or tech or abilities from all over the world, they move to the compound. Any power or skill and Tony brings them to the Avengers. He tells them that if they decide to become active they'll have to sign one of the contracts but for now they can train. One of the youngsters, Kamala Kahn, is integrated into Tony's brood.

Tony spends lots of his time with bored children. The compound is massive with a garden but still can run out of activities. Cooper, Lila and Kamala follow Tony around a lot. He can't always spend time doing what they want to he works, on tech in his 'shop or paper in his office and the children follow.

Cooper will have video message with Harley and Peter along the holographic screens in the workshop while Kamala stretches and spins and entertains the baby and Lila sits next to Tony on the workbench, Tony fiddling with anything tools around him, in his mouth, behind his ear, as he drinks coffee, she'll drink tea and it counts as a tea party. Tony will but into conversations everywhere, pull a face for Lila, snark with FRIDAY. Vision or Bruce or Rhodes sometimes join. Rhodes will drink tea with Lila in the office, sitting on the floor. Bruce will show Cooper controlled experiments, Vision trains with everyone, brings them food, tells them the time.

Tony teaches the kids science and maths, how to act and business. He explains how he has to go slowly when amending the accords, how people will accept the small changes until it's finally fixed but won't accept him completely changing something, they'll think he's changing the document too much. He teaches them how to build circuit boards and shows them engines pulled apart, he tells them how FRIDAY and the bots are conscious, they're people. He stage whispers about how Asimov's laws don't apply to them because they're awesome and he was stupid.

He takes them to the tower and Pepper, Lila and Kamala talk about fashion, Happy shows everyone how to throw a punch. He and Rhodey laugh in a corner.

He talks Cooper down from his rage against Clint. He tells Lila he'll be back one day. He sings Nathaniel to sleep. Laura looks at him like she's proud.

He leaves the kids with everyone at the compound and takes Laura out to dinner. He gets her to laugh, talk about Clint, even the letter she sent him. There were divorce papers with his signature unneeded due to his disappearance. She smiles and he asks about the teaching course.

There are weekly training sessions and a team dinner.

Tony has a whole floor for training in the compound. It's highly advanced and the team manages to work well. All those who will be full time train once a week extra. There's fifteen of them now. There's another thirty on backup by the time the second UN meeting comes around. The whole world Tony starts another compound building project in north England. That way there'll be two response points. He gets funding from many governments to further it. They work in smaller groups of around four, directed by Tony overall but they have leaders within the groups. They make ridiculous code names that Tony somehow manages to remember.  
They go on mission, small and large. The send out people as body guards, as minions, they go on rescue missions and they destroy terrorist cells. They do anything and everything, and 98% of the time they're massively successful.

They have a mutant, Mark, that took lots of training but can control some kinds of concrete. He becomes useful for rebuilding and repairing roads. This means they don't get charged or complained at.

They save as many people as possible, having so many people means they can have people specifically to protect civilians or evacuate them.

It's just after the second UN meeting when Tony's decision to leave Stephanie Keener's treatment to her and the doctor he found come back to bite him. It's been two days and he's happily drinking one of Dummy's edible smoothies in the workshop when she calls him.

"They say I'm not responding to the treatment anymore," she's saying, trying not to sob. Tony is standing dumbly, covering his mouth with his hand.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he promises, tells Vision he's leaving and takes the Iron Man armour. Stephanie is on her living room sofa, head in her hands.

"I thought it'd last longer," she cries onto his shoulder.

"So did I," Tony tries to be comforting but he's feeling more panicked than anything. He knew this would happen but the doctor said the new treatment would hopefully elongate at least five years, they got two.

"How long?" He asks her.

"About a year," Tony nods vigorously. He said at the beginning that the kids were his only not in blood, he said he'd take them in and the kids agreed. At the beginning they had been confused and scared but they've been steadily ignoring the problem since then. Stephanie says she want to live here for the rest of her days, it's home. Tony tells her he'll stay with them as much as possible when it gets bad. Stephanie want to talk to her kids herself but says Tony helped a bit. She needed talk to him to assure the kids.

"Are you going to tell them now?" He asks.

"No," she shakes her head, wipes the rest of the tears away, "I'll wait until it gets a bit worse, I don't want them to be sad for that long," he leaves soon after, knowing Harley and Emily will be home soon. They love him like a father, but he knows they'll long for their mother. He'll take care of them but it's not the same. He feels like crying but decides he needs to be strong for the others.  
He starts one more project, he knows one day the others will come back and truly, when Harley comes to him full time he wants to be able to settle down. Just the occasional Avengers project, SI work and his family. Besides he and Bruce are married. He picks a large piece of land covered in hills and forest and gets his favourite crew of builders involved. The ones who helped him build the Malibu mansion, as well as the penthouse and workshop in the tower. There are four floors but only two are above ground. It's large and flat. Simple plan but he's gonna put as many secret corridors as he wants in this one, Pep. He has it camouflaged as well. They tell him it'll be great.

It's barely 8 days later when he gets called from the shower into the lower floor's common room (there's two for the sheer size of the place). Urgent, FRIDAY says. He runs in with dripping hair and having just managed to get some jogging bottoms on. There are people piled in front of the TV, watching aptly. Laura stands by the door into the kitchen, horrified wide eyes and a hand over her mouth. Cooper and Lila look the same, Nathaniel is is his mother's arms.

"What's happening?" He asks. Someone turns up the volume.

"-It was supposedly a rogue Avengers hideout. However the only information we have is the file mysteriously leaked onto the internet. We don't know who is responsible for this attack but we do have footage now," the newslady speaks in a grim tone. The TV displays the farmhouse up in fire.

"Ross," Tony grows as Laura starts gasping for breath. Lila looks close to tears. He picks the little girl up and gives Laura a one armed hug.

"FRIDAY, give me all there is on this and send a coded message to T'Challa telling him the Bartons are safe," Tony orders as the girl snuggles into his wet side.

"It's okay, you weren't there," he tries.

"But we could have been," Laura gasps, "Clint left and if you hadn't come to get us we could have been in there," Laura is shaking, and with it Lila does too. Cooper is getting angrier by the second. It takes a long time and input from many others in the room to calm the family down. Cooper see the for two days and refuses to talk to Clint when he calls though T'Challa. Lila screams at him and Laura hangs up. Tony tries not too when they tell him, but he laughs himself stupid.

One UN meeting and fourteen new recruits later the compound in England is done. He tells Jane she and the brood can stay there any time. One third of the Avengers move there.

Pepper convinces Tony to do more than give some comment at a news conference. She books him time on a talk show. They have to be professional and stick to mostly the Accords and new Avengers. It's a small show and he only has half an hour. Tony thinks it'll be fine. He hopes. It's booked two weeks before and the internet explodes, people are always so excitable.

He is introduced as Dr Stark. The talk stays on the Accords for all of two minutes. After the introduction the presenter, zeroes in on the wedding ring and decides that's more important.

"So you finally met your soulmate?" She asks.

"Yes and no," Tony replied.

"Would you care to elaborate?" She seems miffed.

"I solidly know who they are now but I didn't marry them," he laughs slightly.

"Why?"

"Because not only was I already in a committed relationship," he gestures to his wedding ring, "I don't particularly enjoy the company of my soulmate," and he refuses to say more on the subject. Instead they talk about the street-level heroes signing their own version of the accords.

"The Avengers Initiative is much larger now than at any time Captain America held the reigns, can you tell us why this is?" She asks him, politely.

"I think Rogers had a thing about fighting with people he fully trusted. He also wanted a very small but close knit team. I don't mind. My team all has the welfare of the citizens above all else and they follow any direct orders, that's all I need for them to fight with me. And frankly my larger team with small groups is much better at the high profile fighting we conduct," he talks about some of the new recruits and Spiderman. They talk about the Civil War and Tony tells her Steve only sees in black and white. He had said that the governments were corrupt because people had agendas.

"But no matter what the individual wants, the governments are elected by the people and massive documents like the accords don't pop up in 117 countries without the people wanting it to happen," Tony tells her. He gets a letter addressed to him in Steve's handwriting three days later. He burns it without opening it.

On Harley and Emily's next visit, they bring Stephanie. Tony picks up Peter and they get as many people as possible to help then plant trees, flowers, herbs and vegetables in the garden. They're all laughing and interacting. He and Bruce sit with mud on their faces in the herb garden taking to a low level telepath, Helen who actually is a medical doctor and uses her powers to bring people out of comas. She's a back up Avenger and usually is on intel and picking off stragglers. Tony has her training three days a week with the four former SHIELD agents they have.

The kids have delved into throwing bulbs at each other by that end and all of them have stained clothes. Tony gets them to get changed and orders Chinese that only delivers that far out because Tony pays obscene amounts for the food. Tony only does this because it's his favourite Chinese restaurant.

They go to bed late and exhausted and are woken up at five in the morning for a sighting of a group of hydra agents. The UN send Tony the coordinates of what they think is a small hydra base and let him take whoever he sees fit. He brings three of the spies, Rhodey, Vision, Peter on back up and four others. They take a quinjet over.

They sit on the other side of a surrounding hill with FRIDAY monitoring the big, hidden compound.

"Is doesn't seem to be as small as advertised," FRIDAY tells them.

"So it is a Hydra base?" Peter asks, there is an affirmative.

"Call in the Wasp and her squad, and I need at least four of the Iron Legion," Tony tells FRIDAY.

Hope leads her own group of three others, one with super-strength, one who can turn invisible at will and has been training hand to hand and another who can shape shift into slightly different forms, based on animals, Jake. He had agreed to Tony's curious experimentation and questions because Tony had given him a safe home and people to train with. Jake can change small parts of himself, like adding wings from his arms that let him fly for small periods of time or moving his ears to the top of his head and changing them for hearing purposes, like a cat. He can also make himself significantly small if needed. Tony let Hope handle most stealth breaking in.

There are nine people in the back up team. Tony separates them up into groups with purposes and tells them that because there are no civilians around, they're going to storm the place. Peter whoops and Tony smiles, knowing it'll be fun.

Tony has a concussion and on of the agents ends up in the cradle but mostly they only have scrapes. Three Hydra agents died but they have twenty six to give into the officials. They debrief with only Tony quickly and everyone collapses onto the many sofas Tony has in the living room. Tony takes all of the files they got off their systems and gives them to FRIDAY. They can take on Hydra without Rogers. He feels content.

He still wakes up screaming. The shield still crashes down whenever it wants, the witch is still in his mind and deep in Tony he knows something is coming. He sees the portal, the place between places. There was truth to the visions, some at least. Thor had to check on something said in his, Tony has to fight against the unknown.

The next UN meeting brings the initial changes to the Accords to a stop, they move the meetings to once a year. Tony is deliriously happy, especially since Peter is visiting that day.

"I'm getting drunk tonight!" He shouts, earning a laugh from Rhodes. Tony hasn't got drunk since before the Civil War, he still drinks sometimes, a glass of scotch while he thinkers, alcoholic hot chocolate for the too long nights, but he's been too busy to get hammered.  
He pulls out a large bottle of aged scotch and drinks straight from it, others grab their own drinks in celebration and order pizza and burgers and all of the junk food. There are streamers, tinsel and plastic kids toys brought in. He can still hold his alcohol so he's half way through the bottle until he's laughing happily and dancing along to AC/DC FRIDAY is blaring through the front room connected to the kitchen. Kamala, 18 and Tony's allowing to drink sits with Bruce at the sidelines, watching and grinning.

He's done forty minutes later and he's sitting on one of the Iron Legion's shoulders, shouting the words to 'Iron Man' and popping a bag of party poppers all over the other guests. Peter is filming the whole thing, dancing himself next to Tony. Rhodey is almost as drunk next to him. Bruce and Kam each had two beers and are sitting happily at the breakfast bar, overlooking the drunk residents in the sitting room and taking pictures. Kamala is putting some on the Avengers new website and some on her Facebook.

Two hours later and Tony's calmed down a bit but is still very drunk. He starts pulling baking ingredients out of the kitchen cabinets. Peter goes to stop him but Rhodes stops Peter.

"Don't worry, he does the best drunk baking," and Peter laughs so hard he topples over. Tony makes a massive strawberry and caramel cheesecake and one hundred vintage chocolate chip cookies. The room eats them sitting on the floor singing to Busted sleepily, even Laura had joined them by that point, having put the kids to bed.

That base easily leads to the next and the next. They are mostly well hidden, not in the open so they can storm the bases. They are still nowhere near the top but they're making a start.

Tony, Peter, Vision and FRIDAY work relentlessly to further the Iron Legion protocol, to connect them and better their programming. It is slow but good work.

Thor comes back, bringing news of chaos and madness. Tony was right.

Thor comes back with news of chaos and madness.

He speaks of a being called Thanos who courts the lady death using destruction. There and been word and a warning and he aims for Earth next.

Tony explains the Accords and the Civil War and Thor, surprisingly, agrees to negotiate his own contract to protect the Earth.

"I learned my lesson before. I will accept my limits and listen to the people's voices," Thor tells him.

Tony calls an emergency UN conference in which he tells them of the looming threat. They accept Thor's proof and tell them that Tony can start writing Thor's contract, they will organise their countries for war and build bunkers for evacuation. Tony is surprised at how quickly it is accepted. It only takes two calls of Tony's shouting arguments for them to cave and immediately begin work to protect their planet.

The news is widely spread quickly. The news channels over the next two weeks focus on the upcoming efforts.

Tony checks on his house, it's almost done.

Thor fits into the compound fine and speaks of his 'Dear Lady Jane' to Laura.

Tony starts to work on pardons for the ex Avengers and makes deals with minor criminals to fight with them against a threat of their whole world.

"We need everyone we can," Tony argues.

"They need to sign the accords," Everyone else says.  
Thor tells them that Asguard will be with them in defence and they will work on building allies within the nine realms.

This fills up six months of Tony's life and then suddenly Stephanie dies. He pulls the kids to New York and they grieve together. Lila sleeps with Emily for comfort when she wakes shouting for her mother.

Tony goes to Harley and sings to him when needed. Bruce cooks them both comfort food. He gives them space then helps them to be distracted. When Emily is found crying on the sofa, talking about her mum, Bruce hugs her and tells her a story of someone who thought there was nothing for them until they fell in love. She calls him 'papa' and Bruce almost cries.

Tony builds armour for the armies being built, makes energy shields for the openings to the underground bunkers being built worldwide.

He gets funding from the UN and separate governments to build up the Iron Legion.

Rogers gets cleared and they plan to come back. Tony and Bruce plan to move out. Everyone's understanding but upset. The kids are still grieving, Tony needs to give them a life.

He still runs the Avengers, doing all the administrative and public things and he's still on call (as is Bruce for the Thanos fight) but Rhodey now leads the team's and is the one the UN debriefs.

"What about me?" Asks Laura.

"You have three options," he tells her, "you can either stay here, come with me or I can by you an apartment where ever you want it,"

"I don't want to live with Clint it'll just be too much for all of us. I know you have exactly enough room for us and Rhodey and that but I also want to be close. So the kids know their dad, so they have a chance to forgive him. Can you get me an apartment close to here please?" So he does.

The house is magnificent. There are two underground floors and two above ground.

The top is for guests and has a large gym. The second has the largest open plan living, dining rooms and kitchen. It also has Tony and Bruce's bedroom as well as Harley and Emily's rooms. Bruce's lab is also there.

The basement consists of Tony's lab, one for smaller work and one for larger things, like actually building and editing the Iron Man suits. It also has a bunker. It's big enough for twenty people, has a toilet and a pantry.

The sub basement, Tony relocates all of the servers. FRIDAY's and SI's. The ones for the basic AI running War Machine and ones for other parts. They've live there.

They fly most of their stuff over and put all the furniture in, all random colours and styles at matches with Tony's light grey and baby blue walls. dark wooden floor for the whole place. Apart from Bruce, who finishes decorating, they go back to the compound for two days. They help move Laura in one for them as well.

Tony gives Rhodey the coordinate of the house just in case it's needed and he gives Peter, Rhodey, Laura, Vision and Kamala untraceable cells with a 'if you need anything I'll be there'.

Tony buys a black van and loads the rest of their stuff into it. That armchair Tony loved from his bedroom, the sofa from the workshop (that had always been moved where ever he would be, it had been stolen on his last day of MIT from the robotics lab by him and Rhodey), the bots, Emily's couple of pink beanbags, Harley's little tech projects scattered about. The residents give them little parting gifts, blankets, food, trinkets and the like.

Tony gathers Harley and Emily into the van and sets out ten minutes before the rogues are supposed to arrive. He leaves Peter, Rhodey, Kamala and Vision standing by the door to greet them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm reasonably pleased with this chapter, tell me what you think.  
> Steve in Wakanda POV nexttt.  
> Really this is my procrastination mixed with CW feels.
> 
> Also! BE EXCITED. Within the next two days I should have the spacing figured out, I found an easy way to do it so Ima do that tomorrow hopefully.  
> Btw, when someone shouts 'what team' do we still shout 'wildcats' or do we shout our pokemon go team?  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	7. Where's Tony?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Steve.

Steve and the other ex-Avengers had loaned area of the palace. They had their own room with a bathroom, a communal kitchen and living room. They had been connected to the internet from the one computer and the television could show worldwide channels. All in all it was nice. And Wakanda was beautiful.

The problem was that since the King had woken up from his coma they had not been allowed to leave the rooms with the exception to the gym or garden and only if accompanied.

It wouldn't seem too bad if not for Wanda, who had already been on house arrest or Steve who spent lots of his time moping in the lab in which Bucky was kept frozen.

Everyone was angry, with no where to push their frustrations. They instead spent their time watching the television for news on Tony or the Accords. Both Stark Industries and Pym Technologies had issued statement in support of the Accords. The former with an apology for Stark not being there as he is recovering and the latter saying that they regret the way that the suit was used.

Steve thinks he should be more angry than he is but decides he's hurt his soulmate enough (Bucky!) a voice in his head shouts but Steve feels drained. He decides to hope Tony will forgive him.

They hadn't heard any news about Tony at all for two months. This was when T'Chaka walked into their common room in the evening saying he had just returned from a meeting with Dr Stark.

"What?" Sam had screeched as Steve stood shocked. On one hand he was ecstatic, news of his soulmate! Maybe he had been forgiven. On the other hand Tony was still on the opposite side, he could still be gunning for them.

"He does not care where you are but he brought letters for Miss Maximoff and Mr Barton," the King stated, hiding out the notes.

"Who're they from?" Barton asks.

"Yours in from your wife and the other if from a 'Vision'," Wanda gasps and settles down to read her note. Clint nods and does the same.

Wanda ends up in tears, Clint gets very angry.

"He says he's sorry for hurting me but he can't accept that my decisions were made in good taste," Wanda sobs from her spot against Clint, "he said he wishes I had paid more attention to the people," 

"Don't worry, there was nothing else you could do, Stark having you locked up like that," Clint growls. It doesn't do the trick but as Clint repeats it, Wanda's gaze turns steely.

Steve goes to talk to T'Challa later as he is much more likely to answer his questions than T'Chaka.

"Was Tony okay?" Steve asks.

"He seemed happy actually," T'Challa states, "I apologize if this is rude but you seem to be much more interested in Dr Stark's well-being than the rest of your teammates, why is that?" Steve heaves a sigh.

"He's my soulmate," Steve tells him. T'Challa seems to want to ask more but leaves it be. Steve asks a couple more questions, T'Challa reveals that Tony's eyes were blue but no one seemed bothered so he didn't mention it at the time. Steve wonders why extremis was active.

"My wife send me divorce papers," Clint tells him later and Steve thinks that Clint must feel like how Tony not calling feels like to him.

There is the news constantly playing in their quarters and more than likely, someone is watching it. They see news about battles, about the Accords and about heroes.

The rogue heroes are always taken down when they try to leave their rooms. The province takes them for walks in the garden sometimes and happily gives them treadmills and weights though.

Pepper Potts for Stark Industries makes a comment about the Accords after the first UN meeting on them.

"Tony Stark supports the Accords and so do we. Since shutting down the weapons manufacturing SI has been very keen on the idea of accountability, we always make sure we know what and how our tech is doing so it isn't misused. We monitor everything about how our tech is sold to make sure nothing like Stane ever happens again. We know that no matter how hard you try not everything goes your way and I am here to say that this is what the Accords are trying to solve. Especially now that the registration act has been scrapped especially. The Accords are not about controlling superheroes, they even have a choice to whether they want to go on missions. They aren't even about charging the people who fight for us for the damage that is done because we are all fully aware that the mess should never have been made if not for the villain. They are to make the heroes think, to gain that extra piece of information that could save a life. They are there to make sure everything they do is in the best wishes of the people," Pepper states. She keeps talking but by that point Steve's mind has been blocked out by the voice screaming 'where is Tony!'.

When someone does ask where Stark is, Pepper tells them he's busy leading the growing Avengers. Clint goes on a rant about how Stark shouldn't be leading everything, Wanda joining in and Steve agrees with a lot of they say although he feels guilty after as he feels like he should be defending the man he's been in love with since before Ultron and is actually his soulmate. Then he thinks he hasn't been inclined to in the past why is he now.

Pym Technologies gives a statement agreeing with SI and asking for a collaboration.

Clint manages to convince T'Challa to let him call Laura.  
T'Challa connects him to FRIDAY.

"Agent Barton," FRIDAY greets.

"What the he'll T'Challa, I wanted my wife!" Clint shouts at the Prince.

"She is with Dr Stark," Clint eventually gets connected to Laura when he's argued enough.

"Honey," he signed.

"Don't you 'honey' me," she growls. They have a long screaming match, Clint defending himself while Laura defends Tony.

"He created Ultron! Why do you trust him!" He shouts.

"So did Wanda and Bruce technically. And the scepter was Ultron, not their programming," she yells.

"Steve's never led us wrong before," he tells her, she wants no excuses.

"You had no need to be there!" She screams, "you were retired! The Accords wouldn't have affected you!"

"Steve needed me!"

"Harley! Stop trying to feed that to Emily!" She shouts a bit later.

"What?" Clint asks and he sits in silence for a couple of minutes.

"Who's Harley and Emily?" He asks when she returns.

"Tony's kids," he gets as a reply. 

"Tony doesn't have kids," he states.

"Yes he does, he said so the first day I met him. He has seven really," she sighs, "he's actually a great dad,"

"Seven?!" He shouts.

"Yes, Harley, Emily, the bots, FRIDAY and Vision, if you want to get technical about it," she soon hangs up and tells him not to call again. The kids are too angry at him.

Steve nods at the information given to him, he's not surprised Tony thinks of his creations as his children.The Barton household gets blown up, Laura calls to shout that she would have just died if not for Tony. Natasha holds Clint while he cries.

They spend their time working out and trying to not get depressed in their rooms.

Steve spends too much time calling a phone only to hear a dial tone. He wishes it would call.

"I love him," he tells the air.

"He chose him," he tells Natasha. Who nods in understanding but clearly sides with Tony on the matter.

They see the Avengers on missions, different groups for different things. The X-Men are out of the country and they take down the brotherhood. Bruce is seen with a med kit on the side-lines. They take on pink space lizards and while a city block was destroyed, no one died with eight people dedicated to getting civilians clear. A mutant fixes the road and manages to even repair some of the buildings structure. He is celebrated as 'Concrete' the hero. Iron Man is seen working as a body guard to a Russian official. The Vision is seen on good will missions. A group led by The Wasp, Hope Van-Dyne, successfully breaks into a terrorist hideout and brings them down without any property damage or death.

Three people die in a Doom battle. It is deemed by the UN of there being no way to have been avoided and so the Fantastic Four are fine.

Tony reappears when the Accords have had all the modifications he wants for the mean time. Steve is ecstatic. By that point the whole team knows of Steve's situation. T'Challa has grown close to them. 

They are all sitting in the living room paying rapt attention to the TV as Tony is announced on the show. He looks happy, waving and smiling.

He greets the host easily and they start talking. Tony got married. Steve doesn't listen the the rest of the show. He leaves and goes down to see Bucky in his cryo chamber.

"He married him, Buck. I really wish you could tell me things'll work out right now," Steve signs, "he chose him but he's destined for me,"

They start taking down Hydra again and the world sings their praises.

Tony is spotted in Tennessee picking two kids up from school. The news loves it.

Tony is seen kissing Bruce in public. There are articles about both of their soulmates everywhere for weeks. Steve sheds a tear, sitting across from his best friend.

Thor comes back. 

Thanos is announced to the world and preparations start immediately.

They spend six months totally confused about what is happening while T'Challa started organising and army and T'Chaka started building raid buildings.

They get pardons, even along with Bucky and Steve is so excited to see Tony. Maybe he can change his mind.

They board a jet with T'Challa and Bucky's chamber and land in the compound grounds. It's very different, it's lively, there are things growing all around it. There are far more residents too.

Rhodes, Vision, Spiderman and Ms Marvel wait for them at the door. They all growl collectively and glare at the group.

"Colonel, where's Tony?" Steve asks, holding out his hand.

"You just missed him," Spiderman laughs.

"Pardon?" Clint asks.

"He left. Just ten minutes ago. To an unknown location. He is unlikely to return for a while, his family are dealing with a loss," Vision tells them.

"He should be here," Natasha states, stepping forward.

"Nope," Kamala smirks and they all walk inside.

They spend the day unpacking and making sure Barnes is secure in a lab. One of the scientists will stay with them.

They are told that they will their own sub team but must listen to War Machine's orders. Wanda is benched until she has better control, Charles Xavier is sending someone to help.

They gather in Steve's room to talk about how weird the greeting was.

The next day they are made aware of how unlike they are. Whenever any of them walk into the room, FRIDAY plays songs about betraying, hating people and douchebags. Her favourite seems to be Lilly Allen's 'Fuck You'.

Rhodes can walk and Sam breathes a sigh of relief that is taken back as Rhodes continues to ignore his existence.

Steve is in the kitchen alone at three in the morning one day when Spiderman jumps down from the ceiling then webs him up six feet up the wall and leaves him there. Many people walk past and ignore his outraged shouts.

It happens three times in two weeks when the hero is around. Once he gets stuck on the ceiling and falls on his face when Clint gets him out with and exploding arrow.

"I fucking hate you!" Some artist shouts through the speakers as Steve walks to Barnes on day three.

"Why are you doing this FRIDAY?" He asks.

"Boss said I could be as petty as I like," she tells him sweetly. 

Rhodey takes to taping pictures of Tony and Bruce on the kitchen fridge (both of them). There was already stuff stuck to them and the massive announcement boards next to them. Funny news articles about anything or ridiculous ones about Tony. Important notices and pictures alike. There was one from the wedding there but Rhodey keeps adding them. There's pictures of Tony sleeping sitting on Bruce's lap, the couple playing with the kids, them smiling at each other. There's one of just their hands, holding their wedding rings. Steve hates it the most.

There's a picture of Laura and the kids that makes Clint said as well.

Kamala manages to get her legs around Natasha's head and takes her down with her own move in a training session. She then gets FRIDAY to play it on screens wherever Natasha can see it.

Natasha is the most easily accepted, she apologizes profusely and Rhodes says he doesn't mind her, just that Tony knows if Steve figured out about Howard and Maria, Tony knew she figured it out first. 

"Steve wanted to tell him," she says. 

"I've shared more with him than anyone else on the team," she argues.

"I only let them go to stop the fighting. I didn't know that Siberia would happen," she states. And once FRIDAY forgives her, the rest of them do too. 

Steve is still hated by the main four. Apparently Tony has a protection squad.

Clint is locked from the vents and Vision ignores Wanda almost completely.

They take three weeks for the works of it to smooth out. People mainly just glaring or ignoring them now.

Rhodes takes four people on a small mission that they are back for in eight hours.

"Can I speak to Tony?" He asks FRIDAY.

"No," Vision answers, suddenly behind him.

"But he's my soulmate," he tries.

"Tony said you would use that," Vision tells him.

"But he belongs with me. We're destined for each other,"

"But do you want him more now than ever because you love him more, and I know you had a crush before, or because you deem it so that he should have chose you when you were never there when it mattered?"

Clint gets Laura to let him visit the kids.

Cooper outright refuses to talk to him, says he's going to call 'Uncle Tony's and shuts himself in his room. Lila screams and cries until she too, joins Cooper. Nathaniel doesn't recognise him. He leaves with a hollow pit in his stomach.

The UN starts to get angsty with Thor's return to Asguard to gain information. They want to know why nothing has happened yet. Steve is still confused about the situation.

"Tony told you all, didn't he?" Rhodes shouts at the rogue team in a meeting room. With their confused states he continues, "that something was coming. He told you and you ignored him," 

"He couldn't know for sure, it was a hunch. There was always a possibility of more aliens," Steve tells him.

"Did you deliberately show him what you did, Wanda?" The Colonel asks.

"I don't even know what he saw, I just triggered his deepest fear," she says sheepishly.

"He saw another place. Like beyond the portal. Thor said the Chitauri existed outside of the nine realms. The same place that Loki fell. Tony calls it the place between places and Thor agrees. My best friend is haunted by so much destruction it reached to the place between places," Rhodes growls.

"We didn't know," Natasha states.

It takes another month for the UN to break with tension. Tony is called back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be more typos than usual as I haven't been through it as many times.  
> Dear gods I hate school my bag is so fucking heavy I am going to break something.  
> Tell me what you thought (like I said before I don't do all that much Steve so it may not be so accurate).  
> Comments are lovely.  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	8. Listen Rogers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is turning out way longer than I expected.

"Tony, man, I cannot deal with the UN. They're so freaked about why nothing's happening. I wish I could give you more time but I need you back for a few days to help, please?" Rhodey rambled into the phone.

"Okay honey bear, I suppose I have to face them at some point. Bruce will want to come with me and that means the kids have to come. Since they've been all sad Dummy's taken to following and cuddling them so I'll take him too. I'll be there tomorrow?" Tony sighed.

"That's perfect. Thank you Tones," Rhodey sounded so relieved but Tony just felt nerves. Tony hung up and went to talk to Bruce.

"You don't have to come," he tells his husband. Bruce growls.

"There is no way I am leaving you alone with them," he sneers. Tony coincides and tells the kids.

"Can we see the others?" Emily asks excitedly.

They pack and leave at eight in the morning the next day. Dummy is with them, charging station and all. Emily and Harley are both packed for three days so Tony will have an excuse to leave, Bruce and him the same.

Tony calls Happy and asks him to drop off a pick up truck so Dummy will be okay to drive with from the airport.

Tony's heart is pounding into the arc, his breath short and irritable. Bruce sits close murmuring comforts in Tony's ear the whole plane ride. He really doesn't want to see Rogers but he knows it's necessary. He can also wake Barnes while he's there, talk to him about BARF. He needs to talk to the UN anyway, he knows they need more information, even if Tony has sparsely more than they do. He tells himself seeing Rogers and Wanda are necessary evils. He kind of can't wait to throw Steve's 'destiny' line back in his face.

Harley and Emily are excitedly making plans for how they're going to spend their time. They're fine living alone but they get bored. Tony found a school close that they'll start soon (if irregularly with their constant moving). As they leave the jet Tony notices that Harley is wearing the gauntlet watch Tony made him (for emergencies and his request- Emily has a teddy with laser eyes, he thinks he may be an irresponsible parent but he's better than Howard so who cares). He briefly wonders why Harley needs it but decides he must be nervous.

Tony drives to the compound in the bright red truck and let's Bruce and the kids get out.

"I'm gonna go talk to Laura and get Peter, I'm gonna bring Dummy with me as I'm sure he's missed Cooper, I'll see you later," he calls as he drives off. The plan was discussed, Bruce and the kids would settle in while Tony checked in and he'd do his actual UN work tomorrow, Barnes too if he's not too tired. Tony hasn't talked to May but he has six hours to get to Peter's school in time to grab him from the gates.

He speeds off to Laura's apartment building. He puts the ramp down for Dummy and secures the car. He owns the building so nobody questions the robot when he shows the doorman his badge. Dummy, being excited, accidentally hits him in the face in the elevator. Laura laughs and gives him ice to put on his forehead.

"How're things?" He asks her.

"Fine really. Clint visits every Thursday but things still aren't good. He's developing a tick to hearing the words 'uncle Tony'" Laura laughs. 

"Uncle Tony!" Cooper shouts from his room where he and Dummy are, "I've been making a robot! Come look!" Tony goes, laughing with Laura.

Lila wants to show him the set up she has in her room for her dolls. They're all organised by colour in a row below her window.

When Nathaniel cries Tony sings him Italian lullabies until he's sleeping. He lets Laura record it too, she says FRIDAY in her phone and TV has been a great help, she plays whatever recordings of his singing she has when things are bad. 

"Clint used to help, with Lila his voice was good any way. I can't sing but I tried for Cooper. Clint was away for a lot of his childhood. He was so happy when Clint retired. He's got so much anger now," the mother tells him.

He arrives at Mays when she's just finished eating a late lunch. She easily agrees to let Peter goes to the compound. It's a Wednesday so she wants him back though.

The bright truck and Dummy draw some eyes as he drives towards the gates of Peter's High School. Tony's wearing black jeans and a red hoodie, plain clothes but even so he's recognisable, the beard and hair, the robot. He nears the gates as the kids mingle with their friends. Peter even has a couple. He pulls in and sticks his head out his window. All eyes draw to him, there are some gasps. He sees Peter off to the side and shouts to draw his attention.

"Peter! It's internship time!" He shouts. Peter's head whips in his direction and Tony barely smothers a laugh. Peter's eyes draw from his face to the back of the car and Tony knows Dummy is probably waving.

"Come on!" He shouts, Peter nods and jogs over to the car.

"Did you have to be so noisy? People will ask questions," Peter grumbles.

"You're a smart kid, your cover is sound. You still go to the compound once a week and SI twice any way. You have an actual internship," Tony tells the boy.

They get to the compound easily. Harley is waiting by the door.

"I punched Captain America," he giggles, "unbelievable!"

"What?" Asks Tony, dumbstruck.

"FRIDAY?" Peter asks. Dummy has already ran inside, eager to find victims (or a fire extinguisher). They walk to the kitchen and sit down. There are two other people who smile and wave. One is new.

FRIDAY displays a video on a hologram above the breakfast bar. It's taken from the main hallway with their bedrooms. Steve is standing in the middle of it, greeting Bruce with a hard edge. Bruce sticks his left hand out to shake, no ring but the band visible, growling. Bruce and Emily leave quickly, Harley tugs Steve's sleeve like a smaller child and Steve goes to one knee to took into the face of the (small for his age) child. Harley is barely two feet away from him, pulls down the watch mechanism and punches Steve right across the jaw. Steve sways backwards, Harley walks straight off.

"You hurt our dad," FRIDAY states, Harley turning back for the shocked face of Captain America before walking beyond a door into a bedroom.

Tony laughs for a good five minutes, Peter gives Harley the most enthusiastic high five and they walk off, talking about what Peter's done and revenge plots. Rhodey comes into the kitchen to see Tony clutching his side's with tears in his eyes.

"What's up Tones?" He asks, slightly bewildered.

"Ah," Tony laughs, "Harley punched Steve," he breathes though the laughter. Rhodey raises an eyebrow. He waits while Tony calms himself. 

"So wanna come say hi to the others? They've missed you," Rhodey asks. Tony nods, he starts scanning FRIDAY's coding to make sure no overrides have been used or hacking attempted while they walk down the long corridors to Tony's workshop. Tony's eyes blaze blue, a suit walks behind him.

"I thought you'd appreciate if you didn't have to see Rogers today so everyone's waiting downstairs," the colonel explains as they walk. 

All the Avengers Tony is closest to wait there, Bruce too who hooks his arm around Tony's waist and smiles easily. Peter's standing upside down from the ceiling, shoes and socks long forgotten and laughing with Harley who is playing catch with Dummy.

Wanda catches him as he moves from the bedroom to the lab.

"What you did was not on, Stark," she states, red dancing and eyes fierce. If she wants to play intimidating, Tony can too. His eyes flicker.

"Keeping you inside? Yeah I guess I probably could have at least talked to you but let's put what was happening in terms you may understand. I even have a comparison," he drawls. He talks about her being introduced as the mad woman who released the Hulk onto a highly populated city. She tries to bring it back to his weapons. Tony knows Ultron's on him but fuck the (98% sure Obadiah's weapons, for fucks same they were faulty) weapons.

"Remember how that wasn't Bruce? Wasn't even the Hulk's fault yet they wanted him chained and locked in a room so small he wouldn't be able to change for life," he growls. He tells her that's what they wanted to do with her as well. She looks taken back but not guilty or sad. She, like Steve wouldn't change anything. Tony turns around and goes back to Bruce.

He hugs his husband like he used to pillows, tightly and against his chest, like he never could with Pepper. He tucks his head over Bruce and pulls his arms around the other's head, one around and one lower, draped under his neck. Bruce's hands hold them together, fisted in the back of his t-shirt.

The next morning Tony has a video call with the Secretary of State, people are getting worried about why nothing has happened yet. The man is sour but not evil or illegal like Ross.

"I really don't know all that much but from what Thor's shown us, they're going for planet wide invasion, that means they have to travel here rather than attack one city with a portal," Tony repeats at least twice throughout it, the guy wanting more information than Tony has. He leaves his office two hours later and exhausted. He gets changed out of the suit and heads for the kitchen for lunch. He uses the lower floor as he knows Bruce will probably be there.

The room is packed with Avengers, Tony knows most quite well, there's the same new person from the day before.

"Sandy," she introduces herself. 

"Where you from?" He asks her as she cooks something with Bruce. The two standing in front of the stove, Tony standing behind them.

"No idea, I woke up in an alley in Manhattan a couple days ago," she laughs, she looks barely eighteen. He powers are fire manipulation, she was discovered when she accidentally set a kitchen on fire, unknowing of her powers. Rhodey recruited her and she's gone into training.

The something cooked was a stir fry. Tony eats with eight others and then brings some to Harley, Peter and Emily who are in the training room. Natasha and Clint are sparring in a corner but nobody was watching. There were four people gathered by the door, watching as Harley laughed and clapped at Peter, in his suit, swinging around from the bars and obstacles on the ceiling, arms around Emily's waist who was screaming in delight.

"Oh my god," Tony breathed, figuring yeah, it's cool and must be fun but so dangerous. He almost drops the three plastic pots of food with him, he crushes one of the plastic fork's handle.

"Hey, Tony!" Peter shouts, slings another web and drops down right in front of him. Emily jumps down and jumps on him instead, Tony staggers and drops to one knee.

"That's so dangerous," he tells them.

"Yes but you'd do it," Harley tells him.

"I'll give you that and so I won't tell you not to do it, however if you want to swing so much, I'll make you a harness and you can do it yourself," Tony tells them, he sits into the floor and the three join him. The bystanders have left.

He hands them a pot each and gives Peter the broken fork.

Natasha and Clint come over as Tony explains what the mixed mess of chicken and noodles is.

"So you found yourself a brood, Stark?" Clint asks.

"This isn't a recent development, Barton," he growls, looking up at the two assassins.

"Shouldn't be surprised the playboy has kids," he snarled.

"For your information," Tony stands up, the kids follow, "adoption is the way I got Harley and Em and Peter isn't even mine," he starts walking. They start walking, they are followed.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen," he tells the kids and stops when he notices. They're standing in the hallway, Tony glares hard. He scans the cameras and sees Cap in his room, nobody walking near the corridor. He feels for the suit just in case, FRIDAY pilots a one that wanders the halls. His eyes must have changed as he states them down because Clint's breath shifts.

"What's got your panties twisted?" He asks the blond.

"I wanna know what the fuck you told my wife," he growls, steps closer. Tony immediately heats his skin, there's no way Clint could hurt him when he's burning. He can feel his shirt start to simmer, the undersuit holds strong though.

"Nothing, at all in fact. She read the accords even the first ones, that I sent you. That wouldn't have effected you. I went to get her when Ross disappeared because I feared the worst. She stayed in the compound," Tony tells him. Clint grows out some insults before he leaves.

"Tony," Natasha starts.

"I don't blame you for letting them go, your reasoning was sound. However, you should have trusted me with the accords, all that 'we played this wrong' was BS," Tony signs. Natasha nods.

"I'm glad you managed to get them to something better,"

"Natasha, why didn't you tell me about Barnes? I almost understand Steve's reasoning but yours? I don't even know what you have," he shakes his head.

"I don't know, I didn't want to hurt you. I agreed with Steve wanting to leave it," Tony leaves, shaking his head.

He goes to the cryo chamber and starts opening it. By the time Barnes is awake, Tony has modified another gauntlet which he holds on his left arm.

"Wha-?" Barnes asks, blinking sluggishly.

"Morning soldier," Tony sings.

"What's going on Stark?" He grunts.

"Well I think I can fix your little brain problem. The only problem is that it's very advanced tech and so I don't really trust most people with it. I thought we could negotiate something," they have a long conversation. Tony agrees to build another arm, Barnes agrees to leave the soulmate thing alone. 

"I know you aren't to blame," Tony tells him.

"I know you're not a villain," Barnes whispers. Tony explains BARF and a little on his feelings for Steve, the why of it all. Barnes shares what he can remember and Tony gives him the glasses and open access to FRIDAY. The AI actually likes the guy so Tony's happy.

Barnes goes to Steve, Tony goes to Bruce.

"Heyy, Brucie," 

"FRIDAY tells me you woke Barnes," Tony smiles.

It's the next day Tony sees Steve. Laura is over and Tony's sitting with Nathaniel on his lap with her, Rhodey and Bruce, watching some terrible comedy show.

"How the fu-" Tony starts, shut off by a sharp glare from Laura. Rhodey laughs at his him extensively.

Steve knew Tony was in the compound, not only had he been told but news and gossip travels extensively with so many people in the compound. He's spent most of the time trying to talk to Wanda who just stewed in her room. On the second day of Tony so close Steve could feel him, Bucky appeared.

"Stark said he can fix me," he said, "said he's a mechanic," Bucky slumps. Steve cried.

"Bucky just, I can almost feel him," Steve told him.

"I know you love him Steve and he likes you plenty, I can tell. But he lives the guy he married, you can tell," Bucky sighed. His heart was torn on this one. Partially, he wanted Steve to be happy, to be with his soulmate but he also knew Tony deserved a choice. He slept with Steve, on the floor that night.

The next day Laura came to the compound, three kids in tow and smiling. Tony apparently let her in, Clint was seething throughout. From the small conversation Steve had with her and from what he saw of the kids, he understood Clint. Having to listen to his kids yell 'uncle Tony' must have been hard.

He heard Cooper rant about the engine he built with 'uncle Tony'. Lila talked extensively to her dad about 'uncle Tony' having tea parties with her, even while he was working. Laura was sitting with Tony who was holding Nathaniel as Steve stood in the doorway watching. He was glad FRIDAY hadn't announced his presence. But it also hurt seeing Tony smiling and leaning so close, a ring was on his hand today.

He left but vowed to talk to Tony.

Tony found Steve later that afternoon, three hours before they would leave, in the kitchen. Tony wanted a smoothie.

"Tony," Steve said, reaching for him.

"Rogers," Tony stated.

"I've missed you," Steve sighed.

"I can't say the same, but I can't say the opposite," Tony tells him. It's true, while Steve was probably moping about lost chances and winning him back, Tony moved on. He knows he would have referred this whole fight never happen but the Avengers are better now, Tony's not arrogant about it buts he's proud of what he's build without the original team.

"I'm so sorry," 

"I really want to believe you but I don't believe you would have done anything differently," Tony knows Steve is single minded, he wouldn't have been able to see past Barnes. Steve opens his mouth and closes it.

"Are you coming back?" He asks.

"I can't," Tony states, "I will when it comes closer, I'm still the leader here. I want to get the legion up to AI standard and some kind of energy shield sorted. The kids are still having a hard time. I have a family," Tony shakes his head.

"Tony, we're your family," Steve steps closer, Tony's at the blender cutting and shoving fruits into the machine.

"No, and I don't think you ever were," he spins to look at the soldier.

"But-" Steve starts.

"Steve, I wish we could say we were nothing but hurting like this is intimate. We're dangerous. Maybe Bruce was right. He usually is. At least you and me, we're a time bomb and we've already gone off. We're dangerous people with a history," Tony turns the blender on, it isn't loud enough to drown Steve out.

"Tony I love you. I have since New York and I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. You're my soulmate. We're destined to be together. We belong together," Steve pleads.

"I've given so much and have got nothing in return. I lost so much in you and your Avengers. I lost my opinions, my time, money, tears, my voice," he tries to breath deeply. "I've lost my children and my faith. I will not loose myself and what I've recovered," Tony screams, he's so done with this.

"You asked me, the first time me met what I was without the armour. I thought it was stupid at the time, I am the armour. But I can differentiate. Without the armour I'm just a guy who woke up in a cave with a hole in their chest. Nobody ever gave me a break, least of all you, so I'm giving myself one," Tony is calm. He's the mechanic, he fixes things. He pours his smoothie into the biggest glass, we walks out. Steve is still reeling.

"I love Bruce, we're married," Tony throws over his shoulder.

Steve goes to Rhodey, Tony goes to the lab.

"Rhodes," Steve greets.

"Rogers, what do you want?" He growls.

"I love Tony and I'm so lost. And I realise you will never take my side in this argument but I want to know if there's any way-" he tries.

"Listen Rogers. Bruce is the best thing that has ever happened to Tony, minus maybe Harley. He doesn't care when Tony wakes screaming. Asked him to marry the guy anyway. Bruce accepts himself because Tony does and shows Tony how to do the same. They may not be soulmates but they fucking should be. Bruce can keep up with him, knows him and loves him unconditionally. They will be together until they die," Rhodey rants, arms crossed, legs strong.

"But that's my place!" Steve is frustrated.

"You lost your chance when you crushed his heart just as literally as Obadiah ripped it out," James leaves.

Tony and Peter work with FRIDAY to complicate the coding of the legion to make them a proper AI network. They'll recognise each other as friends, Tony, Rhodey or the suit as a boss, people as something to protect. If the civilians are safe, they're doing their job well. They'll take joy from their work and be able to make decisions and talk together. Tony will be so proud. They'll help fight the Chitauri.

They get a bit done in the couple hours they have left. Vision decides to come with them when they leave.

"I want another try, a proper family and for all that I was never born, you are my father," he tells Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are further apart now than before as I only have basic structure planned. I have to write the whole things and go over them. I will finish this though. It's just longer (I don't even know how many chapters).  
> This chapter is also longer than I thought it'd be, or I thought I'd get more stuff done in the word count.  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated, check out my nerd Tumblr.  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	9. Lead Us.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end.

 

It's peaceful back in the forest, quiet and the birds are pretty. Emily takes to drawing them. Harley starts college introduction classes online while Tony irons out the details of school. He and Peter converse almost daily. Emily skypes some of her friends from Tennessee.

Tony and Bruce work, alternating with the kids, Vision comes and goes, he talks to everyone and fits nicely. Nothing much happened for a few months and only one battle broke out that was more than one group worthy for the Avengers, Cap's team debuted for the second time. Natasha spoke at a press conference. 

Tony's been back and relaxed for three months, having just came back from visiting Pepper and SI when Thor returns.

It's nothing like Tony imagined but he really shouldn't be surprised when in the middle of a sunny day thunder cracks and Thor lands in the large patch of tree free land behind his house.

Tony rushes out, hands heating only to stop dead in this tracks when he takes in the sight of Thor greeting him. 

The large blonde sweeps the smaller into a bone crushing hug and Tony can do nothing but gape, staring at the forest filled with Asguardians.

"I have brought warriors to help protect your realm, friend Anthony!" He exclaims. Tony nods and leads as many people into the house, the rest set up camp outside.

"Thor you cannot just turn up in the middle of the forest with seven thousand Asguardians soldiers!" Tony screams later, in his kitchen with Harley, Thor and the Warriors Three. Although it was technically Tony's land it was also technically a nature reserve, he's lucky there was only one (admittedly massive) scorch mark in his garden.

"Okay, I'll call people, we'll have to distribute soldiers throughout the continent's so they can be emergency response and won't have to move when Thanos comes," Tony babbled, Thor seems to understand.

"Tomorrow, let us introduce you," Thor rumbles, Tony agrees easily and Tony doesn't mind. He gets dragged around while Tony speaks of his armour and bravery, how despite their rocky start, Thor is glad to call Tony friend. The three want to fight, Tony allows one, getting into the armour in the gym (which is Thor proof) and he manages to almost take down Volstagg.

"Why are you not with the others?" Tony is asked.

"The kids mum just passed, I didn't want to be around Rogers, I wanted a step back, Bruce was getting nervy, my house if great. Take your pick," he shrugs and takes a swig from his beer.

"Has the good Captain's quest to win your heart failed?" Thor seems confused, so do the others, "how could you reject your soulmate, it is just not done on Asguard,"

"I guess if you live as long as you guys you can learn why and how your souls fit, here we're with who we love. It's rare that you don't end up with your soulmate but Steve's hurt me in ways I couldn't forgive. Plus, I'm married and Bruce is great, right?" Tony nods, he's explained it so many times he's insensitive really, it still irritates him who people don't believe Captain America couldn't wrong. Thor agrees but decides to tell him stories about him and (his soulmate) Jane, who Odin has agreed to give a golden apple. Thor has it with him.

"She can come stay in the compound with you if she wants," Tony says.

The next day Tony asks why Thor came, he had been researching the stones and talking with allies. Tony forgot to ask in the commotion.

"Thanos will soon be upon us, little more than five earth months," Thor is subdued. Tony gets on call to the UN.

"I want the Asguardians distributed throughout the most populated cities," he tells the president. "ready your armies and get the energy shields in place of the bunker entrances," Tony tells as many officials as possible. He sends out the shields he made and works on finishing the Iron Legion.

"Rhodey, I'm sending Thor to you with the Warriors three and Sif," he calls his friend. Laura appears in the frame.

"What's happening?" She asks, Tony tells them things are moving forward.

He has dinner with Bruce and the kids when Thor leaves and then locks himself in the workshop for three days. The legions coding is finished. He loads the coding into the forty already made and starts manufacturing, he if funded by many people and puts SI to making them as well. 

He spends a month training with the legion so their code adds complexities itself. He has six perfect, advanced suits, the hulk buster and extra weaponry. He tells the Avengers to step up their training.

"We've ran out of time," he calls Charles Xavier.

"The X-Men are putting everything they have into training all those who wish to fight," Tony is told, he nods solemnly.

Harley and Emily get more angsty as time goes on, the energy in their house is horrible. Bruce will fight with Tony.

By the time eight weeks are up, the legion is up to two hindered members who mull around Tony's property, communicate with him, FRIDAY and each other, follow orders and fight seamlessly. Tony puts on an older suit for the flight and they follow him to the Avengers base.

He lands gently and marches into the compound, leaving the suit and the legion outside.

He yells a greeting as he walks through the door. He talks to Hope, Rhodey and the rest of the team leaders, even Rogers.

"Do some extra training with the legion, they'll only follow my orders or FRIDAY's but they could do with other forms of combat training," Tony tells them.

"Tones, we need you to lead us," Rhodey pleads.

"Bruce and I will be back in one month, the bunkers done right?" Tony asks, he's had builders in to make one under the compound, so anyone close by, Laura and co and Tony's kids can stay there.

"Yeah, they finished ages ago," Hope tells him. Tony nods and they make plans for civilians nearby.

Tony goes back with an extremis connection to the Legion and a growing ball of anxiety.

Tony gets the suits to the best they can be and then, after a month moves back into the compound.

Less than two months to go.

Peter comes to the compound more and more frequently.

"You're gonna have to tell your aunt that you're Spiderman or she'll be worried about where you are," Tony tells him.

"I know, it's just that she'll be worried anyway and she hates Spiderman," Peter sighs. He decides to tell her anyway. It does not go well. Tony gets screamed at and Peter gets screamed at, Bruce gets screamed at.

It takes three days for May to calm down, Tony goes to talk to her.

"I've made it as safe as possible, Laura at this point it's dangerous anyway," Tony tells her, she does some crying.

"He's a good kid," she sighs, "I guess this is exactly the kind of thing he'd do," Tony nods.

Tony takes back control of the Avengers. He schedules a meeting to discuss where everyone will be stationed.

"Six teams will stay in New York, mine, Hope's, Thor's, Roger's, SHIELD's and Dave's," Dave, an inhuman who could control specific weather patterns, who lead a team of three others, one who could make ice, another who could electrify stuff and a guy who was ridiculously bendy, who was a great hand to hand fighter. Tony sends a couple groups to each large African country, three to Canada, the Avengers staying in England will split across Asia and Europe, the Asguardians are already distributed. Wakanda will fend for themselves and nearby countries.

The Legion will split across America and one had been assigned to every UN official. Tony sent ten to the other compound, to help them. One is sent to protect May and get her to shelter and another to Laura and the kids. One is sent to Pepper and Happy while another three protect SI and will stay by the bunker doors when everyone is in.

Tony completely avoids Roger's group, the exception being late night drinks with Natasha, she makes him drink tea when Bruce cannot.

Tony trains without the armour as much as he does with. His control on extremis grows quickly. By five months are up he's constantly checking satellites and media attention, people are scared. Tony's eyes are always blue.

Eighteen weeks after Thor turns up, Tony spots incoming on the radars. They have a week.

Three days later and Tony's convinced people to start evacuation. They take all the food that won't perish quickly that they have and run to the bunkers. Tony sends out the Avengers. 

Helen and her cradle have also arrived at the compound, another sent to England with a few of the workers, to heal anyone.

By day six, eighty percent of the world's population is as safe as they can be, the first fleet of ships descends on Earth.

They attack near France, Wakanda and New York. The most protected places, they fight back. Tony is glad they attacked where they did because although there would be more civilians, there are more people stationed there. There's as many as when the Chitauri first came, but they all come at once, Tony can see the mothership in orbit and he tries not to panic. 

Tony flies ahead of the quinjet with the Legion, he's speaking to Bruce over the comms and checking the kids got to the bunker. 

"This is the beginning of the end that I started," Tony tells himself, he knows he's said similar things before but he'll do it again.

"Take anything out," he tells his teams, transmitting to others anywhere, "protect the civilians," a round of affirmatives is heard.

"Rhodey, keep an eye on Spiderman, Spidey, I have extra webbing, shout when it's needed," 

"Wanda, please try not to use the objects around you for hitting things, directly use your power," 

"Everyone that flies, try to stop them as they come lower, the more that reach the floor, the more that things get broken,"  
The hulk comes out, Tony sends the legion to try to break or damage the massive ship. He hopes they'll at least be able to get some of the soldiers before they reach the surface.

There are Leviathans, Tony sends three of his strongest missiles into one's mouth, it flips and another is sent into its stomach. The Hulk jumps on top of one and smashes through its head, it keeps moving. 

Cap's team, mostly on the floor deal with the Chitauri soldiers,

Dave's team work together seamlessly. 

Vision went with the Legion to try to destroy the ship.

Spiderman works on stopping another Leviathan from moving, it takes lots of webbing but works. He swings by Tony shouting about no webs left, he pulls another capsule from the suit and throws it at the boy, he carries on. 

Tony easily repulsor blasts the soldiers into oblivion but as time goes on he worries that he's running out of power.

Black widow finds bullets to the head stop them just as easily as they did last time. Tony takes to bullets, FRIDAY commanding the guns in the suit as Tony continues to burn them.

The battle is a lot longer than the first was, Tony constantly getting updates from others on what's happening else where. The soldiers don't stop and there's no way to get rid of them.

Four hours and one suit change later and the Chitauri move back from Tony's fight, there was little damage on the mothership.

Tony flies to the closest attack and carries on, the Hulk jumping after him.

They soon have the battle won.

Twelve of the Legion fell. They lost no Avengers but, twenty one soldiers worldwide and eight civilians.

There are hundreds of Chitauri around them, many left but the retreating soldiers took as many injured as they could it seems.  
When the ships left, Tony's back outside the compound and he's had stunted reports from all team leaders he stands and looks at the damage, the other teams with him collecting closely. 

Cap's team are huddled together, hope is lying on the floor, Spiderman is sitting on War Machine's shoulders, leaning his stomach against Rhodey's helmet-less head. The Hulk picks Tony up, suit and all.

"Good husband," he rumbles and some of the tension drains from Tony's shoulders.

He spends the night in the bunker with the kids, one holographic screen displaying various world leaders as they discuss plans of defence, they can't get to space to attack. He checks in with the X-Men and Fantastic Four. He calls the DareDevil to see where he was and any other street hero not working with them. He feels like he should have Dead Pool's contact info.

He talks to Thor.

"He has infinity stones, doesn't he?" Tony asks.

"Indeed, and a gauntlet with which he can wield all of them," Thor nods, he looks as troubled as Tony feels.

"Your dad has at least one, right? Vision has another," Tony decides as long as Thanos doesn't have all of them he is defeatable.

Tony is asleep when the next wave comes.

By the time they get to the main area, the soldiers have spread, they're tearing down buildings, looking for people. They want to kill, this Tony knows. Thor told him that Thanos courts the manifestation of Death. 

Tony brings out the Hulk-Buster and he gets through aliens much more quickly, even if the Hulk himself had a mini freak out at the sight of it.

Kamala and Peter fight well as a team, swinging and throwing each other around, the SHIELD team take out as many as possible. The army has been sent around, spread out, away from where the Avengers draw most of the focus of the Chitauri.

This battle is longer, other branches had already reported the Chitauri had retreated by the time Tony was done. The giant suit was wreaked, he got FRIDAY to start manufacturing another.

"This is too easy," Tony states later, as everyone east while they can.

"I know," Bruce says.

"He's trying to wear us out," Hope tells him.

"But we don't even know how to fight against the infinity gauntlet, our only chance is hope he turns up here and charge him, try to get it off him," Tony sighs.

"Do not worry, my friend," Thor rumbles, "we will protect Midgard," the other Asguardians mirror the feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long, I'm being drowned in math homework.  
> But I break up on Friday so ill have loads of time to write a missive chapter with all the fighting (once I do more research on the comics, I've only done a bit), tell me any ideas you have for it btw as I know very little of how Ima finish this.  
> No soulmate drama this time, there's serious business going down now.  
> I'm thinking of making someone die? I feel like it'd be more realistic- not too major of a character but maybe.  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	10. Sir.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know fucking what, screw cannon. So apparently if Wikipedia can be believed in the comics there's some bullshit redemption bit for Thanos but in the movies he's some massive criminal guy so that's clearly not going to happen. I've read all I can find and still I have no idea how Ima put it in writing or how Thanos will get all the infinity stones without killing Vision so Ima die and I decided to fuck with everything instead and make it completely up.  
> In advance, I'm sorry.  
> Kinda.

There was two days before the next attack. In that time, Pepper had been brought to the compound, Tony had talked to almost every world leader and a group of (mostly) aliens had shown up, calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Tony sets Pepper and Happy on babysitting duty for when it gets too much for Laura, in the long hours they have to be underground, even though there were plenty other civilians to watch the kids.

"I'm worried about you Tony," Pepper states.

"I know, Pep, I can't slow down right now, you know that," he nods.

"I do," Pepper states, she makes him tea.

"I'd prefer coffee," he laughs.

"I have news," she says shakily.

"Okay," Tony states, nervous.

"I'm pregnant," 

"Oh my god," he gasps, "I'm so happy for you!"

"I'm telling you now for some extra incentive for you to stay alive, the kid needs a godfather," she laughs.

The Guardians were weird but Tony liked them, they would be especially useful as one of them was the daughter of Thanos.

"So, any idea why your dad decided this was a good idea?" He asks her, he guesses it could be quite a sensitive subject for her but to be fair, Tony's insensitive by nature.

"Thanos is not my father. And he thinks there's no way to lose," she answers, Tony is pulled away quickly.

He's rebuilding the Hulk-Buster armour with Harley and Bruce when Peter Quill comes to talk to him.

"What's been happening so far because we got shot at quite a bit coming in but there's not exactly a news channel in space for this," he greets. Tony tells him about the battles, calm and just the regular soldiers trying (and for the most part failing), to kill them and when it does fail, destroying anything in sight.

"We beat them the first time by throwing a nuke at the mothership and closing the portal," Tony tells him.

"Why can't you just do that again?" 

"Because with the ship being within the atmosphere the radiation when the bomb goes off would get into the Earth, kill the ozone layer and anyone not in a radioactivity protected bunker," Tony tells him, sighing "or my suits," he adds as an after thought. 

Tony talks to Rhodey.

"So all we know right now is that Thanos will be inevitable if he gets the other three stones, so he probably wants to do that," Rhodey states, they both hate having no idea what to do.

"Yeah and that is only goal is death, meaning it doesn't matter what he destroys while doing that," Tony runs a hand down his face.

"We've just gotta keep fighting and keep Vision safe," Rhodes nods.

"Barnes, I need to run a routine check on your arm if you don't mind," Tony strides into the room where team Cap is sitting.

"What do you care?" Wanda asks him, Tony glares then turns his eyes to Bucky.

"Okay," the super soldier nods and follows Tony out.

"You know Steve's really beaten up about your rejection," Bucky comments when Tony starts work.

"A, what do you expect me to do? I'm married," Tony shakes his head, " and B, we're in the middle of a full scale invasion, can we not continue this now?" Tony asks.

"Well you don't have to listen to him complain every night," Barnes grumbles, Tony doesn't reply.

"I don't want to fight," Barnes sighs.

"Me? Or the invasion?" Tony asks, surprised.

"It's just, I spent however many decades killing for hydra and I just wanted a break, so I ran, you know?" He asks, Tony nods.

"And then there's people making me fight and all I particularly wanted to do was find myself and I suppose Bucky was fighting in a war but it's been too long of that, too much," Bucky is shaking his head.

"But then this happens and you have to fight because we've got the world's armies and however many missiles heading for that mothership, the Avengers are what's needed," Tony finishes for him.

"Look I know. I spent years reaping the befits of destruction and it took me a while to figure out what I wanted and I've spent a lot of time hiding, but it turns out I'm more stubborn than I'm scared so I do shit like tell terrorists where I live and come back here to lead my people even with Rogers sulking in every corner. You just have to protect everything you can and no matter how much you don't want to kill you'll be able to forgive yourself," Tony lectures Barnes. He's lying at the end, he hasn't quite forgave himself but at least Barnes can say he never murdered someone of his own accord. He thinks he's gotten a lot wiser since he's had closure over Steve. And bring up children will do that to you he guesses.

"I'm sorry for Maria and Siberia," Barnes concedes.

"That's okay James," Tony nods, smiling at the former Winter Soldier.

The attack comes in the middle of the night, they're back in Paris, Tony wakes up to blaring alarms and a groggy Bruce.

"FRIDAY?" He asks, sitting up.

"Wave coming in Paris, quinjet is getting ready. Two teams will dispatch with you so this area is still safe," FRIDAY replies. Prepared, Tony's little girl always is.

"You coming?" He asks Bruce. 

"I'll go in the jet," he nods as Tony pulls on the undersuit.

"Ima fly, get there faster," Tony states, he puts a comm unit in his ear.

"Thor, you coming?" He asks.  
"Aye, my friend along with the lady Hope," Thor booms.

There are lots of soldiers in the city, clumped around the Eiffel Tower.

Tony focuses on keeping the tip of the tower attached, these things want mayhem and disaster and a bit of the very top had already come off, lying on the floor but Tony was trying to keep landmarks in as few pieces as possible.

He stops a Leviathan from crashing into it (barely, with lots of help from Vision) and he takes down three miniature ships from zooming straight into it.

"Karen! Can you help Rhodey," he states over the comms, Karen who could make trees grow from anywhere. Rhodey was falling (again) and had shouted through the comms for help. The massive oak tree sprouted limbs, Rhodes falling into the brush, his arc was out.

"I could do with a power up Thor!" War Machine asks over the comms. Thor summons lightning to hit the suit, Tony made it so the lightning could be rerouted to the arc, giving it power.

An hour later they get called back to NY, Paris say they have it handled and there's more coming over their city. Thor, Tony and half the legion fly back separately, the Hulk jumping after them while the quinjet flies behind them.

"This is getting real repetitive!" Tony screams forty minutes later, cork spiralling down the length of a nearby skyscraper, blasting as many soldiers as he could find.

"Hey Dad," Harley's voice comes over his internal speakers a video of him in front with the others behind him appears in his screen.

"FRIDAY, why is Harley in my HUD?" He asks slowly.

"He had some very convincing arguments, he was watching your visual anyway," she tells him.

"Maybe you should do something different, mix it up because although you're fighting it seems like you're dying of boredom," Harley suggests. Tony nods.

"My guys in the sky, you good? Ima take to the ground let FRIDAY pilot the armour," he states.

"Sure," Rhodey replies.

"What?" Clint asks, followed by a sharp "Stark," from the Captain.  
Tony sets down next to two of the legion and tumbles out wearing the undersuit and the headset display activates. He burns his hands and the lighter material on his forearms goes up, Tony forgot to wear shoes so his socks go up as well.

He gets his hand on one of the Chitauri soldier's faces and it screams, he gets his forearm around another's neck and drives it into the floor.

"This is good," he pants as he starts working, Harley laughs across the screen.

"Since when can you fight outside the suit?" Barton asks.

"Always could, if not all that well, learnt when I got extremis, helps with control," he pants at the archer.

The fight goes standard until there's a blast of something from above that wipes out about two blocks, right where most of the legion was fighting. Only about twelve get back up, they're gasping and confused and they scuttle over to Tony.

"Sir," one greets.

"What are our instructions?" Another asks.

"Get fighting," Tony tells them and points upwards.

"What the fuck was that?" Hope exclaims over the top of Peter's yelling "that was awesome!"

"Erm- rudimentary AI became sophisticated hive mind, actual people soldier AIs?" Tony asks, calling the suit back, it'll make the remaining legion more comfortable.

"What was that blast?" Tony asks, worried.

"It looked like a blast from the orb but that was safely locked away?" Quill questioned through the comm until Tony gave him.

Tony gets an urgent report that over one hundred soldiers were wiped out in another blast in Asia.

The fights going steady but Tony needs research done now, he calls in VERONICA.

The Hulk Buster, now no longer scaring the shit out of the Hulk wipes out the Chitauri easily, Tony uses flight power and knocks out the mini ships as the come through, quickly no more come.  
Hope is injured and is quickly put into the cradle, healing the chunk missing from her shin.

"He's stepping up his game," he tells Thor.

"It seems so," 

"It could destroy everything, he's clearly teasing with its power," Quill tells him when Tony visits the guardians.

"Ugh, FRIDAY any ideas?" He asks.

"Primitive tech," the raccoon mutters.

"Excuse me?" Tony asks, startled.

"It's primitive tech," he repeats.

"Rocket wasn't it?" Tony asks, there's a nod "I'm not gonna take offense to that, no matter how much I feel like I should be defending my children, sorry in advance FRI, because I kinda get what you're saying as I've seen your ship. So in the spirit of that, I'll get what you say about the suits or the compound but two things Ima tell you you're wrong. Everywhere else in the galaxy nobody cares, even here it seems, but out there there's lots of voodoo magic bs and they don't have things like FRIDAY. And FRIDAY'S nowhere near the level JARVIS was yet, she's still learning her work, growing her personality, but I've talked to Thor about it and he said J was the most advanced computer program he had seen. JARVIS was human, and FRIDAY is too," Tony rants, he is ridiculously irritated with alien shit, his stuff stands up it's great. He's almost growing by the end.

"And the second?" Quill asks, looking surprised.

"The arc reactor," Tony smirked.

"What the fuck is an arc reactor?" Rocket growls.

"It's an energy source, self sustainable and from what I've gather from Thor, magic isn't too far off of electricity, the arc has many applications in this sense. But here it's used to power things and the best thing about it is now, it's tiny," Tony undoes a couple of his shirt buttons to show them it.

"What can it power?" Rocket asks. And Tony easily forms a friendship with the little creature, asking a simple 'wanna show me one of your nifty gadgets now?' When their discussion on the arc is over.

It's three battles within five days with larger consequences later that the massive ship starts to descend. Tony has made as many people check as many of the bunkers as possible, mostly they're holding up, some food was delivered.

Four Avengers with Tony have died, one from Hope's team but luckily none from Tony's (or Cap's he grumbles because their experience is needed). Another twenty one supers have died worldwide. Tony switches Ant Man over to Hope's team despite the grumbles.

"It evens out numbers and his abilities fit yours," he tells Hope.  
They have taken to bringing snacks with them fighting so they don't collapse from exhaustion. They throw bags of chips or sandwiches or fruit at architect to take bites out of between blasting things.

There have been massive casualties, a town in Africa and a city in Canada were turned into craters.

The civilian casualties are stacking up and Tony's getting angrier and angstier.

The UN are scared but not holding Tony as payment, Tony screams for them to understand they're do all they can, the military are saying the same as Tony.

As the ship descends Tony stands outside the compound with his team and the legion he's built up again, there's thirty of them. He's eating a bagel with the faceplate up. He sent the other teams out to scout New York.

The ship seems to be directly over them, Tony thinks it's a bit cheesy.

"Where it started, it'll end right, Thor?" He asks over comms.

"Aye," is answered.

"We can do this right, guys?" He asks his group.

"Sure," Peter responds as the others nod.

Tony stuffs food in everyone and gets news the others are doing the same.

"The ship's descending here, send any you don't need," he tells everyone in other countries.

"I'm sending one hundred soldier to you Anthony," T'Chaka confirms.

Three teams are sent from the England base and Xavier sends some mutants too.

The ship hovers above them, blocking out the sun, Tony has all the streetlights turned on and luckily there's some lighted parts at the bottom of the ship.

Tony gives Spiderman night vision goggles.

A hatch opens in the hip and soldiers pour out, there doesn't seem to be any reports of Chitauri anywhere else.

Tony sets his team to blasting the Chitauri while he and some of the legion go to check out the opening of the ship. They're blocked by soldiers and Leviathans alike. Tony gets one of the legion to use the one shot lasers on the Leviathan that comes out of the ship while Tony focuses on breaking through the barrier of swarming Chitauri on hover vehicle things that SHIELD wouldn't give Tony to study last time, he's grumbling about it to the legion and they're laughing back at him while they fight. Tony gets to the latch and ends up using his own lasers on some of the pods containing hundreds of soldiers in what seems to be a cargo bay of some sort.

"Guys, come check this out," he calls the legion and some follow his lead through the ship. The Chitauri are everywhere, walking around or gearing up, they attack the group when they're seen and Tony fights back, blowing holes through walls and getting lost easily. FRIDAY's mapping where they're walking so she'll lead them back. 

He goes about this for ages, walking through dim corridors and darker passageways, eight of the legion following behind him. Tony's getting so steadily bored he's doing cartwheels while fighting to entered himself. 

The soldiers go down as easily as they did at the Battle of Manhattan, the problem with them always was their enormous numbers, there's even more of them this time and the Avengers with their increased numbers and the support from armies have managed to hold them off again, of course things like the lack of civilians and new missiles in the suit have helped tremendously.

Eventually he finds what seems to be a lab or a bridge, it has few soldiers, a clear glass screen and technology instead of more strange beasts.

There's a screen that Tony's walking towards when he gets a message.

"Soldiers have started pouring outta that thing Tone! Where are you and call for backup!" Rhodey wails over the comms.

"War Machine, I'm still in the ship though there's nothing much here, I'm calling Xavier, T'Chaka and the England base now," Tony gets an affirmative.

"Guys we need help, if there's none where you are come here," Tony asks the others.

"There are only small ships here, I'll leave enough to deal with them," T'Chaka tells him, "T'Challa is moving now," is added.  
The England base is scattered fighting the remains of small ships heading around. They say they're sending those they can, Xavier says the same.

Tony taps the screen in front of him, having a look at what he's facing. A red blip appears where his had touched it. He looks around the place and can't see a start or opening point of any control panel.

"Should we head back?" He asks his legion.

"Colonel Rhodes probably needs all the help he can get," one answers.

"If only I could find a way to get FRIDAY into these systems," he sighs running a hand over what appears to be a key pad, "she could control it," he shakes his head and starts the trek out of the ship.

"It's too alien," he tells his team.

"Maybe we can study the remains," Peter asks, Tony smiles. 

The way out is teaming with soldiers, they seem to be heading outside, Tony and the legion blast as many as they can but when they get crowded end up fighting forward then launching missile to cave in the the structure behind them, one of the legion is lost and another makes a choked noise of sadness as the steel beams lower and crush them. They keep moving.

They struggle getting closer splitting and backing together to make sure none of the aliens come near enough to harm each other. Tony's glad he made them a hive mind, they'd be too difficult to manage otherwise, Tony as their leader, protect the queen and the nest (earth) kind of thing. He's still sad when they're destroyed but at least they're not like the bots or FRIDAY, too aware.

They fight their way into the cargo bay and Tony's armour is half hanging off him, he calls for another and sends the one he's wearing back into the ship to blow up. He stops when he sees Thanos.

"Thanos," he breathes. Thanos doesn't look at him but the Chitauri swarm closer and Tony heats his asking to ward them off. 

"Vision's coming up, we can see Thanos," Hope informs him.

"Okay," he grunts, punching another of the Chitauri, across from him one of the legion is being torn apart. He calls for a second suit in case the first can't get through.

Vision arrives with the suit trailing behind him, his golden cloak billowing as he glares at the mad titan. The suits wraps around Tony and he continues to fight the soldiers still coming from the ship, vision seems to have lasered his way through.

Tony is exhausted and starving but seeing vision in front of

Thanos, at least he knows it ends here.

Tony sees the infinity gauntlet on Thanos, three gems glittering, it seems he hasn't gotten the tesseract yet and Vision still has the mind stone, he seems to be enjoying the destruction instead of using it. Tony suspects it doesn't do all that much without all the stones.

He's still battling the minions with Vision fights Thanos, the Chitauri keeping Tony away from them when Thanos immobilizes Vision and reaches for the mind stone.

Tony's screaming and thrashing through the see of brown aliens before it even happens and he's writhing arms reach of Thanos when the stone is plucked out of Vision's head.

Tony stops still, the legion defending him as the Android's smooth features change and his eyes go cold, shutting. His body crumbles to the floor. Tony sets a unibeam on Thanos and he stumbles, Tony kneels down by one of his children's bodies and the scans FRIDAY runs confirm there are no life signs. The cape has disappeared and everything is becoming fussy, Tony has tears in his eyes when he whispers "away,"

"FRIDAY!" He screams and she relays the message, Tony looks at his son and his skin burns like the tears in his eyes and he screams. Thanos steps forward and looks about to use something of the gauntlet, holding a fist out of the ship. Tony screams again and the suit burns off of him, bits of melted metal sticking to him as the air around him fizzles.

"Everyone get away!" He hears Rhodey scream across the comms as Tony's eyes blaze blue.

He gets hotter than he's ever been, all he can see is Vision's corpse- he chokes on a breath and screams again as a wave of heat and pain tears though him. His sight is a mix of shining blue and oranges as he burns hotter and then- black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think, this is pretty much the end, I have an outlined rough epilogue thing but I'm not sure if I'm going to actively continue this, I might just post a brief (but probably long) epilogue and leave it.  
> I couldn't think of a way to end it and cannon was no help so I wrote until I decided on this.  
> BTW I'm sorry this took so long.  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	11. That's Great.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-fight.

When Tony next blinks open his eyes, for the first time since Siberia, when metal was clawing into his heart, he is in agony. He doesn't particularly want to show it but he groans pitifully. His eyes flutter and he shifts, which just make him hurt more. He's on something solid and hard, it's not comfortable at all. 

He manages to shove his eyes open and hisses, a door squeaks open and someone comes in.

"Tony!" And that's Rhodey. He tries to speak but just gurgles with his dry throat.

"Geez, man. You've been asleep for two weeks, you're still too hot to put on a bed sorry, everything you touch catches fire, you melted trough two beds before we put you on the floor," Rhodes rants, pulling his jaw down and open. Water is tipped into his mouth and he swallows as best he can. Tony's sure lots of it evaporates but he can't quite care. He falls back to sleep.

He doesn't remember it when he wakes up next but he's far more lucid.

"Hey," Bruce smiles down at him when he blinks open his eyes and- yay there's fluffy stuff all around him.

"Hmmm," Tony groans and Bruce hands him a straw. Tony gulps down most of the cup instantly.

Rhodey with Helen close behind come next.

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asks.

"How long have I been out?" He asks. 

"You were asleep for two weeks before you woke for a few minutes, since then you called down to your normal temperature and slept another four days," she recites.

"We won right?" Tony whispers.

"Of course, Thanos is alive and in the most secure prison FRIDAY could provide with nothing but his skin and round the clock Asguardian guards," Rhodey grins and Tony holds his hand for a high five.

"Vision?" Tony asks, very quietly a few minutes after, memories crushing him.

"We have his body and the mind stone and we've tried attaching them but it hasn't worked," Bruce holds Tony's hand tighter as Helen speaks.

"Oh," Tony sobs. He doesn't quite calm down for another thirty odd hours, when Rhodey tells him he's needed and that his kids are waiting. Tony powers through it.

He's out of the hospital quickly and heading for the facility, Rhodes on his heels as he uses the suit.

The suit disassembles and heads straight to the lab, the remainder of the legion stand outside and greet Tony with a salute.

"Good work, guys," he tells them and they power down.

Thor greets him in the doorway, Bruce and the kids with him. They seem quiet, sad and Tony tries hard not to break again, extremis doesn't come up.

"Greetings, shield brother, the return of your health is fortunate," Thor booms, clapping Tony in the back. Tony smile wobbles.

"So, someone tell me what happened?" He asks.

"Clean-up's underway everyone was annoyed the legion wouldn't do anything but they wouldn't do anything without your word, FRIDAY took some suits though and we've all been doing our best. Debris are being cleared still so we hope you can think up something for rebuilding soon," Natasha walks in, taking over the 'update Tony's role, she seems far more relaxed than the others but it could be an act.

"So, food?" Tony decides. There is already a mass of pasta in the fridge to heat up so they don't bother cooking. Tony calls the Secretary of Defence after to talk about the ship.

"So the general consensus is that we're fine with letting the Asguardians deal with it?" Tony asks.

"Indeed, really we're just pleased it didn't fall down after the explosion, it would have crushed the city," the man nods over the hologram.

"I'll see if I can keep some pieces to study, there was a bridge with some pretty advanced tech," Tony adds.

"Anything that could help the destruction would be appreciated," so Tony gets to work.

"What's up?" Harley asks when Tony gets to the workshop, he looks nervous.

"That's kinda what I wanna know," Tony sits down on a spinning stool.

"What do you mean?" Harley won't make eye contact.

"That!" Tony shouts, he's feeling strung out and awkward, Vision hovering over him and everyone acting weird.

"I don't know," Harley sighs, Tony hugs him but still can't get an answer. He goes to Thor.

"So the infinity stones, that's a thing we have to deal with, right?" Tony marches into the office Thor has commandeered to look over Asguardian notifications and reports of the battle.

"Indeed," Thor nods.

"Are you bringing them with you or what?" He asks his friend.

"The Allfather has planned to once again scatter the stones, the difference being to leave the stone with trustworthy and secure parties rather than the most remote places," the blonde explains.

"One in each of those 'realms' you like to try to explain?" Tony asks. He doesn't really think each of the galaxies count as completely different realms, just far apart in the galaxy. But then again he could be completely wrong, after all even with Strange and Richard's work on the multiverse, Earth still knows so little.

"Yes, I would be satisfied if you would be the protector of one," the God pulls a small box that looks like glass but is probably alien containing a yellow gem. The mind stone. Tony audibly gasps.

"A bit of The Vision you can always protect," Thor hands him the box. That night when Tony crawls into bed besides Bruce and curls up in his husband's arms he asks about how they tried to revive Vision.

"We tried putting code in and the stone but it seems all of Vision's code was held in his body by the mind stone and it was a very delicate balance in which the stone kept the body working and the body kept the personality in the stone, it didn't bring him back, wouldn't do anything to the body," Bruce runs his hands up a and down Tony's arms.

"It's hard," Tony sighs, tucking his head into Bruce's shoulder.

"At least Rhodey took care of the moaning politicians for you," Bruce pokes his cheek and Tony smiles.

He is woken by the image of Vision's corpse in his mind and jerks awake roughly.

People are still acting strange, even Clint and Steve backed away from him two days later. Tony starts getting annoyed.

He's sitting with Laura and her kids, singing while Laura attempts to soothe a teething Nathaniel.

"Why are people acting strange, Laura?" He asks when the baby is asleep.

"How so?" She seems surprised.

"Clint backed away from me yesterday, even Peter is nervous. The only reason Rhodey and Bruce aren't is probably because they're just happy I woke up," he sighs.

"You didn't see it Tony, neither did I but it's all anyone spoke about while you were sleeping. How Tony went supernova but stayed in one piece, a chunk of that massive spaceship fell, Thanos almost died and the legion that were near you melted. Christ, the Hulk caught you but had to drop you quickly, his hands smoked apparently. I guess with you rarely using the dangerous heat parts of extremis people didn't realise how powerful you could be," she tells him.

"I hurt Bruce?" He whispers.

"It was the heat, Clint said your skin was bright, glowing orange. Completely. The Hulk was worried, he rampaged until Rhodey showed him a picture of you awake, said the word husband a lot," she puts a hand on his shoulder as he lowers his head to his hands.

"This is big," he breathes, "I thought I couldn't go that hot. None of the other extremis victims could go even nearly hot enough to hurt the Hulk," he tells her.

"Tony, you were beaten down and losing, you had spent weeks with little sleep and less fodder, extremis stopped you from falling apart and then when you wanted to, it burst," she explains, "it's not dangerous, it protects you," she tells him. He tries to nod.

"I gotta get to work," he stands up, pushes the panic down and goes to the lab. Peter and Harley are there.

"Hey," they greet.

"I know you're worried but extremis is fine," he tells them.

"It's not that, it's that you're still recovering and the incident made us worry that you'd explode too," Harley tells him.

"Well if I promise not to explode, you guys have to stop acting so weird, okay?" He laughs, hugging his boys.

"Aunt May's super pissed at you by the way," Peter says. Tony mock gasps.

"I wonder why?" He laughs.

"Because you were injured and didn't let her scream at you before you passed out for two weeks," Peter laughs.

"And you didn't cover for me, such a traitor," Tony pokes his cheek.

"So what's the plan for rebuilding?" Peter asks.

"So, the Iron Legion will get on it now and apart from that, you know that movie Big Hero 6?" 

"Yes?" Harley sounds unsure.

"Well those nano-bot things sound great, Ima do it," he nods. He starts designs immediately, he draws them with four limbs, one tiny joint in each limb held together by the same moveable hydraulics that allows the suit so much movement. He just has to figure out how to make them small enough. Twelve hours in and Tony has pushed most of his desks outwards of the centre of the room, he's standing in a massive hologram of one of the Iron Legion wearing a pulled open gauntlet when Clint appears.  
Tony's fiddling with some wires when his music turns off.

"FRI-" he starts, turning around. Clint stands awkwardly, holding out a coffee cup. It's one of Tony's favourites, dark blue with white wording, 'yes, I talk to myself, sometimes I need expert advice'. 

"Hi," Clint says, stepping forward.

"Hello, is that poisoned?" He asks.

"No," Clint violently shakes his head. Tony takes the offended mug.

"So what brings you to the bowls of the matrix, Legolas?" Tony drawls.

"I wanted to talk to you but if you're busy I can come back?" He asks.

"No, talk. I'm sure the chairs are around somewhere and I need to drink this and probably eat if there's an energy bar anywhere, FRIDAY?" He asks.

"To your left boss, there is also food in the top draw of the desk next to the chairs," the AI replies. Tony smiles at the nearest sensor, something only he does as only he knows where they're all located, although Harley is catching on quickly.

Tony eats a yoghurt cereal bar in two bite and starts on his coffee, then Clint starts talking.

"I wanted to apologize," Barton starts, Tony raises an eyebrow.

"For what I said on the RAFT, for not listening to you throughout the civil war incident. I'm sorry for getting involved when I didn't have to and I'm sorry for holding onto the anger over you when all you did was help my family. I'm going to try to make it up to you while I try to make it up to Laura," Clint finishes and seems to hold his breath while Tony sips his coffee.

"I understand why you were angry after the war, you had to leave your family behind with no sure way of knowing they'd be safe. I even understand putting your faith in the good Captain and blaming me, what I don't understand is why you got involved in the first place. That's what you'll have to prove to Laura it won't happen again. For me, you just have to learn to trust me and ill try to do the same for you," Tony talks solidly even as inside he wavers, he's scared of a catch but pleased people are coming round, Tony's family is being built anew.

"I'm going to do my best and my first step was making sure you at least still trusted my coffee making skills," Clint is smiling, Tony tries.

"Well Barton, times-a-ticking and I've got work to do," Tony stands, finishing his coffee and taking off towards the centre of the hologram.

"Okay Tony," and he is alone again.

Another eight hours and Tony's stumped. He's drooping from sleep deprivation and lack of caffeine (all of the mugs in the workshop were dirty). Bruce comes down to pull him upstairs. Tony is forced into a shower and then handed a massive plate of lasagne. Tony doesn't want to sleep, fear of nightmares making him shake.

Tony is pulled onto a sofa, laying on top of Bruce with Emily by his feet he is handed a phone with May screaming through the speaker.

"Scared me to death, you did!" She tells him.

"Everyone's been telling me this," he laughs.

"I'm just glad you're alright and you got Peter through it," she sniffs, probably wiping tears and Tony feels close to sleep, the phone is passed to Peter who tells Tony he needs to sleep.

"Okay kid, I'll see you soon," Tony hangs up and snuggles with his husband, clicking their wrist bands together. They had made Tony a new one while he was asleep, it having melted off him when he burned, just like the suit and the undersuit.

"How're the nanobots going?" Bruce asks.

"Badly, I've figured out what I'll have to do, just not how it's gonna happen," Tony mumbles into his spouse's neck.

"What're you working on?" Tony queries.

"I'm checking over extremis but there's nothing so don't worry. It's just even the Hulk was terrified for you Tony, you blazes but you didn't explode and then you healed but you didn't wake up," Tony feels worse but happy with each word. He nods and tightens his arms.

"Go to sleep Tony, I'll be here when you wake up," Bruce whispers.

Tony talks to politicians about his progress with the nanobots and builds a few more bots to add to the Legion's relief efforts. People are scared of what's out there and Tony does his best to stick Thor in all of his giant teddy glory at the public. Thor even brings back some more Asguardians to help clean up the cities. Pepper releases statements and has press conferences about everything and with every major company. She has SI distribute water filters and any tech to help grow basic foods to where ever is needed. Pym tech under Hope's rule does the same and the companies work on business deals all over. T'Chaka handles the majority of the UN while Tony does his best to sooth America's government. Tony calls T'Challa or T'Chaka every few days to give updates and get updates, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men contact him reguarly and everyone does the best they can. Tony works on his nanobots every second he can.

Over two weeks of work when he tests in large models and finds the bots won't have enough manoeuvrability or strength when on two limbs. He makes spiders instead. Tiny bodies, no heads and eight strong line that can move in three places, he asks Peter if the webbing could be used to pick things up, Peter admits a solid possibility. Clint brings him coffee and Bruce brings him food.

Another three weeks Tony's tired and weary but his first bots are in production and he's just waiting to tweak them. He has tiny screwdrivers and tiny magnets ready and he's excited. The bots are about an inch cubed total and it's the smallest he could get, he calls them microbots. Some are run on batteries and others on solar power, the batteries can be recharged by arc power so he's pleased.

Harley and Emily are taught by Laura with the Barton children and Tony has a meal with his kids at least once every two days. Peter runs a mock in the workshop and the compound, he trains in acrobatics with Natasha and Tony's just happy things are winding down. Laura and Clint start dating again and Cooper forgives Clint when the attention of his father is turned blindingly onto him.

The bots are programmed to comply to Tony's voice and are directly connected to FRIDAY where she can control them and give them instructions to do what Tony wants, like building the buildings. He gets them fine tuned and runs into the common room holding six of them. FRIDAY says Bruce, Clint and Harley are other but also Steve and Sam.

"Guys!" Tony yells and he looks a mess, missing shoes and socks, wearing grey sweatpants and a black tank top, topped off with grease and oil everywhere and hair that is completely ruined.

"Dad!" Harley greets.

"Stark," Sam says, Steve stares in shock, Tony had been actively avoiding the man, going so far as to not even attend the same press conferences.

"They're done," he shows Bruce, kneeling on the carpet in front of him so he doesn't get oil on the sofa.

"That's great, Tones. Manufacturing started?" Bruce replies, picking one up to examine.

"SI is on it, patented and everything," Tony beams.

"And now I think I deserve some wonderful cooking from my husband," he snarks, Bruce laughs and distantly Tony hears someone leave the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again, one (possibly two) more chapters to go. Wow this is way longer than I planned.  
> Leave me comments and kudos, come talk to me on tumblr.  
> -. thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


	12. A Second Ceremony.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe a little OOC? But mainly fluffy stuff.

The spiders are amazing and the Avengers are back on track although there's been nothing but petty theft for anyone since repairs require everyone working.

Tony spends his days arguing over building procedures, building help and talking to the press.

Fury comes round to gather people for repair jobs and commission a bunch of the spiders.

"Good job, Stark," he tells Tony.

"Thanks old man," Tony laughs, "they're almost as great as the suit," he beams.

"Speaking of the suit, the Legion needs to be more spread out to be effective," Fury tells him.

"They don't like being apart really, especially after all the death and rebuilding, they can be but they're a hive mind so prefer to be close," the mechanic explains.

"Then send them to different places every couple of days or something,"

Steve seems to actively avoid Tony and Bruce together, Bruce most of all but seems positively delighted to get Tony alone. He does however have Bucky as a show that always turns up quickly after these awkward moments.

All of the Avengers can't do conferences together due to space provided but teams and friends go together. SHIELD or SI tell them where to go.

Tony does a press conference with only Hope and Rhodey by his side two months after rebuilding started.

"Mr Stark, you're married to Doctor Bruce Banner, correct?" Christine Everhart asks as the last question and his heart stops for a second. The marriage became public knowledge easily, Tony doesn't mind as there was too much other stuff going on for the public to focus on them.

"Yes," he starts, uncertain, Rhodes puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Since things have calmed down since the marriage, would you consider having a second ceremony for the public," she asks sweetly and Tony really hopes this is sincere and not a ploy to harm him.

"You'll have to speak to Pepper," is still what he manages to choke out. And talk to Pepper she does.

Tony's team and all the rogue Avengers are in the kitchen, breakfast with them when Pepper marches in, Happy on her heels. The baby's approaching and Tony knows it's an inconvenience to travel to the compound.

"You're getting married again," she tells him, slamming a pink folder in front of him. He chokes on his food and Bruce hands him a glass of water.

"What?" He asks, so eloquent a voice in his mind states.

"A second ceremony, outside and open to the public," she states.

"Shit really? Why?" He asks.

"Morale, people have been worried and nervous since before the invasion, you're going to show them two genuinely happy people," Tony's brain stops.

"Okay," Bruce agrees, Natasha has taken up the folder.

"That's plans, add anything and I'll organise it, you have a week," she tells them and takes a seat, smiling.

"What?" Tony repeats.

"Well done, Boss," FRIDAY laughs from above.

Tony changes the flower colour scheme from lilac to blue and the location to the Malibu house. Bruce changes some things but ' It's a surprise, Tony'. Tony huffs in response and let's it go.

Pepper appoints Tony as SI CEO while she's on maternity leave, the baby and the wedding taking up her time. Tony grabs Bruce and the kids and they go to the tower, Pepper greets them. The Bartons go back to their apartment, Clint follows them this time.  
The wedding will be in August, ten weeks after the baby is born.  
Tony puts his and Laura's kids back into school, one close to the tower that they can all get to easily, Happy agrees to drive Harley and Emily when Tony can't, Bruce doesn't like cars at all.

The wedding is planned quickly and the original Avengers go on a talk show to tell the public. Tony's nervous of Steve's reaction but he hasn't seen the blonde since the wedding was announced.

Tony knows Bucky's coming too though. Harley and Emily come with them, Emily bouncing in Tony's arms and Harley sweating with nervousness, Bruce kisses both their heads then Tony before they go on stage. They have their rings on and are in a different room to the others. Tony's fine with all them but Steve, Barnes loves cars, Clint's moving on and he forgive Natasha because she showed she cared. She was the only one who asked how he felt throughout the whole Civil War incident.

Thor is completely unaware of how these things work. And Tony's looking forward to his answers to unexpected questions.

The family come on first.

"So do we call you the Stark's or the Banner's?" The host, Margo Green, asks.

"We keep our own names, these two are Keeners," Tony answers laughing.

"I think the majority of the media has been calling it the Stark Wedding," Bruce tells her.

"We could adopt a whole new name?" Tony asks.

"What would you be?" The lady asks.

"We could take Stephanie's name and become the Keeners?" Tony asks.

"What about your mother?" Bruce suggests, "we could be the Carbonell's," he suggests.

"Or steal Pepper's, after all she's going to be a Hogan," Harley pipes in, Emily laughs and holds her brother's hand in between the children, boxed in by the parents.

The others are welcomed in, Steve is scouling.

"Sergeant Barnes, such a lovely piece of tech attached to you," Miss Green admires.

"Tony built it," he replies.

"As sleek as the suit and connected to his nerves," Tony gushes.

"So the wedding," Margo finally brings up.

"Such a marvellous event!" Thor booms, "it is a highly celebrated occasion in my realm, the bonding of two souls,"

"Yeah, we're happy," Bruce states.

"It was nice having it small and intimate but Pepper especially thought it would be great to have one seen," Tony states, the host nods, "for morale after all the destruction," he finishes.

"People are very excited to be able to witness it," Clint notes.

"That's because we haven't got any personal info on you all for so long," Miss Green laughs. Steve is becoming more silent.

"What do you have to say, Captain Rogers?" Is asked and Tony freezes. Harley grabs his hand with his free one.

"Does it faze no one that they aren't soulmates?" The captain asks.

"It's not as uncommon now as it was in your days, divorce rates are up and people die, move on or have platonic soulmates. It's widely accepted now," the host replies.

Steve doesn't speak again and they continue discussing the wedding, themes and ideas behind the location, who will walk down the aisle? Tony tells her it will be simple but public, hopefully there won't be a riot and yes, there will be people from many countries attending.

Everything Tony feared happens a week later when Steve, Bucky and Sam are outside. They're approached by some photographers and one films the whole thing.

"You seem very hostile about the wedding," one reporter comments to Steve and the man seems to snap.

"That's because Tony belongs with me!" The man shouts, "he's my soulmate and I love him," Steve growls at the man as Bucky holds onto his arm.

"This is a development," someone out of shot whispers.  
Tony is shoved into a crowd of reporters at a press conference the next day.

"Soulmates usually stay together," someone tells him.

"What's wrong with Steve?" Another asks.

"He left me broken and dying in an abandoned Hydra base. He never trusted me and was always disappointed. After he preached about honesty he kept the truth from me," he lists.

"He seems to want to fight for you," someone states.

"While I'd like to see him try to take the Hulk, some things just aren't worth fighting for," Tony replies and wow, that's what goes viral? The media shouts either in defence of Steve or Tony until very close to the wedding.

People are very firm in their stance and it gets heated quickly. FRIDAY monitors and trolls the internet forums and occasionally prints the best things out to stick on the fridge. The most firmly 'science husbands' stance comments keep ending up in Steve's room and while Tony thinks it's Rhodey he doesn't say anything. Bruce looks a bit green whenever Steve is around and tends to stand between him and Steve. Tony thinks it's cute really but Bruce is embarrassed, saying the Hulk takes much less kindly in trying such an underhanded method to get Tony.

"Soulmates are a perfect match," one of the younger, less close to Tony, Avengers tells him. The kid looks confused. Tony's never spoke to the young man, hasn't many of the newest recruits with how many of them there are, Rhodey and Natasha deal with lots of people. (Vision when he was here but that's just painful and makes Tony and the electricity flare).

"Have you met you're soulmate?" He asks the guy.

"Yeah, she's lovely and I'm looking to propose as soon as I have a ring," the boy stands defiantly.

"I'd love to meet her and I'm sure your relationship is wonderful. She's probably a great match but tell me, do you argue?" Tony asks, swirling his smoothie.

"Everyone does, just stupid stuff we get over quick enough," the boy laughs.

"Not like Rogers and I. Not everyone has betrayal written over their heart and a shadow hung over their head all from their soulmate," Tony states. The other looks confused.

"Listen, lots of this is public knowledge but more of it is speculation. The name Rogers was written on my chest but Captain America was what my father compared me to. I wasn't strong and I got sick. I wasn't good enough. I always thought the accusation I would say was little, an average argument and my soulmate would love me forever, unconditionally. Steve's writing on my chest was a pain but a rope to hold to. In 2008 that changed. I was getting older, tired of what I was doing. 2008 and my soulmark was gone and the man I thought of as a father tried to kill me," Tony tells the kid, "do you see where I'm going with this?" He asks.

"Not really. I'm guessing the argument wasn't small," Tony nods.

"It was three years of Steve and his teamwork stuff when they all fought and I tried to provide what SHIELD would have. Bruce was the only thing that held me up and I didn't want Steve at all. Then after Ultron and the importance of honesty Steve had known about my parents murder for the whole time, capishe?" Tony asks.

"You can't forgive betrayal that was also a hypocrites words. So you're saying that even though Steve's your perfect match, he's not trustworthy?" The boy asks.

"Pretty much," Tony nods.

"But you'd have all your extended lives to move on, forgive him.

"Wouldn't it be worth it, couldn't you try?" The kid sounded like Tony was tearing his world view down.

"In another time, when the Captain wasn't a figure before he was a man to me, if I hadn't had my heart moved, torn, stolen and crushed, if I didn't need someone to protect it. Maybe," Tony shrugs, "I give lots to those I love and gods, I could have given him everything," Tony tells the boy who nods and quickly leaves.

Little does Tony know that the whole conversation was being streamed to not only Rhodey but Steve too. The former just pleased Tony was strong enough to deal with Captain America and the latter trying to repress the shudder of guilt and the feeling it was over.

Tony talks to a PR representative and as she tells him there's no way of getting over this. America, unsurprisingly is mostly on Steve's side, just like the public were on the accords. Iron Man however, is an international hero so most of the world agrees with him.

Tony is there at the birth of Pepper's daughter, trying not to laugh as she almost breaks Happy's hand. He sees the baby first as she's born, she's tiny and pale, adorable. Pepper gives birth in the tower because she feels safe and general security. Tony hires the best midwife he can fine and Helen Cho helps.

"I've got no experience," the doctor exclaims.

"But you know what to do and both Pepper, Happy and I would love someone we trust completely there," Tony replies and Happy mirrors the sentiment. Helen gives in.

The midwife hands Pepper the baby and they name her Natasha for Tony, he told them once that if he had been a girl that would have been his name.

Natasha Sasha Hogan is born in June with the weather getting better and all the other kids getting excited for the wedding. Laura and Emily take over planning the rest of the wedding while Pepper recovers and spends the days cuddling with Happy and Nat. The larger Natasha loves the kid just as much as she loves Tony's and Laura's kids. Tony is named godfather and he spends half the time coming up to the wedding cooing over the baby. Emily takes to carrying Nat around when she's asleep, replacing Nathaniel with another baby it seems. Everyone amassed dozens of photos of the kids together and Tony starts to think he's gone completely crazy in the domesticity.

An Avengers call comes in and Tony does far too many unnecessary loops. There's there's strange glob things crawling around some tiny towns in Asia. They send more teams than necessary to keep an eye on the many civilians. The blobs are different colours, around five feet square and seem to be venomous, the plants they sear over die quickly, the people seemed to have realised this and managed to avoid the things by staying indoors. The blobs seem to fall apart when disturbed, repulsors work fine but Spiderman's webs don't. He takes to throwing handfuls of rocks at the things which is better. Unfortunately when the blobs fall apart, they tend to spread, when they're hit with multiple fast flying rocks, those bits spread further as Tony discovers when some of the bits hit him, turning a part of his forearm a nasty black colour as the acidic like substance burns through the suit. He carries on, extremis focused on healing the spot.

"Dude, calm down you're making me ill just looking at at you," Rhodey groans over the comms while Tony flies haphazardly in circles.

"Domestication is making me ill man, live a little," he laughs at his friend.

"Nice to know I make you ill dad," Harley comments over the comms.

"FRIDAY," Tony asks slowly, blasting a purple blob in the face, "why does Harley have a comm unit again?" 

"I have one too!" Emily shouts, Tony flicks an eye to his HUD, pictures of them appear.

"And me," Cooper laughs.

"You never took the devices from them Boss," FRIDAY informs him.

"Hmmm," Tony narrows his eyes.

"Uncle Rhodey gave me mine," Cooper adds.

"Right well Ima let you keep them as long as you don't distract me," Tony tells them and focuses back on his fight. Not because he's a pushover but because they aren't rely harming anything he tells them.

Everyone involved is fitted for their suits or dresses for the wedding and a week before the event Tony grabs his family, the Hogans, Natasha and the Bartons and they head out to Malibu.  
They're going to have the ceremony outside so more people can see it, FRIDAY and whoever else are filming, the reception will be inside.

They order dozens of blue ribbons and flowers, table toppers and so many other decorations, Natasha and Pepper start to get very OCD about it while Emily, Cooper and Lila start to get very squealy. Tony and Harley get caught up in their cooing while Bruce laughs from behind him.

The night before the wedding Tony and Bruce sleep alone, Tony is woken at eight in the morning by Natasha pushing him out of bed.

"Ow!" he groans, rubbing his shoulder where it hit a bedside table. He glares pointlessly at Natasha's raised eyebrow.

"Up," she orders and he follows her to breakfast.

"I thought you were assigned to Bruce," he grumbles as she hands him cereal.

"It was felt you would need to be pushed out of bed with more force," she replies. She leaves to tend to Bruce while Pepper comes to get Tony ready. Natasha's in her arms but is put in a portable play pen. Pepper looks good, Happy with her baby and family, getting active again after giving birth. She's had her hair and makeup done, she isn't dressed though, instead walking around in a dressing gown.

He's quickly shoved into his suit, red tie, dear gods he hopes Bruce's is green. He giggles to himself. He's ready quickly and is pushed aside to check on the guests who have started to arrive, the ceremony isn't until midday.

He sees T'Chaka and T'Challa who tell him about his vastly inadequate security detail.

"Happy's the head but he's a bit preoccupied," Tony laughs.

"Well it is good my head of security is also in attendance," T'Chaka informs him and as soon as Tony looks he can see a few inconspicuous Wakandan ladies lurking in corners, sipping their drinks and glaring at the other guests.

Thor and the Warriors are already on their way to tipsy and when Tony tries to tell them it isn't socially appropriate here, they laugh at him.

"It is a merry occasion, my friend!" Thor shouts, swinging Mjolnir and Darcy laughs and films him.

He's walking around the mansion, loving being home and talking to people when he spots Steve and company. Technically they're allowed there, at this point the whole thing is more of an open gala with more choice, stupid puns and fighting between the Captain and Bruce supporters.

Bucky isn't with them, he's elsewhere, trying to be sociable instead of scary. Clint had roped Natasha into helping him scare the press coverage. But Steve, Scott, Sam and Wanda walk around dressed smartly and looking righteous. People seem to flinch away from Wanda still and it brings no small amount of glee for Tony to show them you can't just get away with these things. Tony decides to go with surveillance.

He's surrounded by people congratulating him, he doesn't see a way to escape.

"Clint," he grabs his friend, "I need a distraction,"

"How big and why?" Clint nods, pulling a nerd gun from behind a plant pot, Tony decides not to question it.

"People can't see me because the merry bunch of righteousness is here," Clint manages to get Rhodey to position something for him to shoot and when glass scatters everywhere in front of the room leading to the workshop staircase he jumps onto a chair and shouts his apologies. Tony runs through the glass to his safety net.

"FRIDAY load up the legion," he orders, standing in front of the six deactivated bots.

"Sir," one of them intones.

"Work time boys, I want surveillance and security work that Happy's people can't do done. I want nothing to explode and I want no one to bleed. Keep Rogers away from me and away from the press. I want no objections in the ceremony and I don't want to be kidnapped, got that?" He asks, walking in front of his bots, smoothing his suit jacket. They go out the Iron Man runway to come up outside while Tony goes back up the stairs. It's nearing Showtime when an immaculately dressed Pepper drags him back into his bedroom.

"Everyone's gathering, sitting down and Bruce is near the alter and you've got to make an entrance," she says, smiling. Tony knows Happy has the baby so Pep could be on Tony herding duty.

"Now with this being a hive international event with even the king of Wakanda being present there was a bit of difficulty with the gay marriage aspect, even though the majority are accepting nowadays. So Bruce, Nat and I tweaked the ceremony a bit from what I gave you to keep some of the traditional wedding aspects," and dear gods if Tony thought domesticity was bad, the press were going to tear him apart from this. He groaned and dragged a hand down his face.

"Fuck it all, who's walking me down the aisle?" He asks and both Pepper and FRIDAY laugh at him. Tony feels horrified, a feeling which only grows when Nick Fury walks in.

"I was asked," the Director I forms him.

"Not by me," Tony states.

"I know,"

So Tony is walked down the aisle to the flashing lights of many cameras and he sees Bruce waiting at the end, green tie on and smiling. And Tony was scouling until he saw the tie but he smiles when he does. All the kids run around throwing blue green and red petals because now Nathaniel can walk well nothing was going to stop him. They keep the same rings and mAke their promises public.

"I was scared until I had you," Bruce tells him.

"You never stopped loving me and when I needed you, you came back," Tony states. They promise to love and cherish each other.

"I'll give you forever," Tony promises

"I love you," Bruce replies and they kiss to the screaming support of hundreds of people, so many more watching on TV. Tony doesn't see Steve at all.

"We've got a get away," Bruce tells him when they dance.

"Who's got the kids?" Tony asks.

"Rhodey and Laura's going to help," Bruce tells him, "we need some alone time," he smiles.

"We can get all science-y and cuddle," Tony laughs, putting their foreheads together.

Tony thinks Rhodey's enjoying the event all too much, constantly laughing and clapping him on the back.

"What're you taking because so want some," Tony pokes his friend as he is pulled into another hug away from a particularly vastly Steve supporter, he's not particularly enjoying people asking him how it feels to leave his soulmate behind.

"Lighten up, the great playboy Tony Stark has been taken!" The War Machine shouts.

"And you're not only drunk but disorderly, the great babysitter has fallen," Tony laughs.

"You've got an army of babysitters now," Rhodey tells him.

They leave early and take the jet to the secret house, planning to stay for two weeks.

The next day Tony gets an update from FRIDAY because these are just the things his paranoia calls for. He's sent pictures of Sam holding onto Steve throughout the ceremony, footage Bucky arm wrestling one of the Wakandan bodyguards (with his flesh arm) and very nearly losing and a picture of the puppy pile of children his friends have acquired, Kam and Peter with the rest as the Hogans, Bartons and May sit supervising.

Bruce walking into the kitchen as he reviews it and laughs at his disgusted face.

"We've become adults," Tony wonders and Bruce hands him more coffee.

"I think saving the world twice and seeing the things we have would make anyone grow up,"

"Geez, until Manhattan I didn't have to worry about any of this," Tony shakes his head, calm and enjoying himself. Tony decides he wants a new suit out of this vacation and Bruce is happy to entertain him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the next chapter will be the last or second to, I keep getting carried away with the bits I write and they end up full chapters instead of parts.  
> This is a little inconsistent in what I write and what I don't but I don't mind it.  
> I will go through it for typos again but I just wanted to update.  
> My friend who follows my Tumblr for all the anime stuff told me to stop with the Merlin when the first twelve things on her dash were Colin Morgan and I shouted (in the sixth form centre- a bunch of people just looked at me like I had three eyes or something) "never! If I had my way there'd be nothing but Merlin and owls on my Tumblr!" and the discussion went back to this horrendous hat a different friend bought. The point of this pointless story is that needless shouting and owls can end any conversation.  
> I don't know why I felt the need to say that as it has no relevance here at all but everything I do is pretty much that.  
> Tell me what you think.  
> -thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com/


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this has taken so long. That is for three reasons: the first being I have been working on other things, school and fan-fiction included, secondly I have has a major case of writers block and thirdly, my kindle died and I lost the whole of this.  
> Enjoy!

Tony was banned from the internet while they were vacationing so as they're flying back to the tower he sweats. He hasn't seen any of the news articles, any of the critics or supporters, he doesn't know what kind of mob will be outside his front door and he doesn't know how many people are still squatting in his Malibu mansion.

Bruce steadily gives up trying to reassure him and just sits as close as possible instead. Bruce holds his hand as they step out of the tiny jet on the landing pad at Stark Tower, it's evening in NY and although Tony hasn't even been awake long to Extremis standards, he feels like his nerves are frayed completely.

Rhodey meets them on the roof with Harley and Emily and tony hasn't been away from his kids for that long in years, it almost makes him break down. Pepper's prepared dinner and they manage to cram everyone into the living room to eat massive servings of lasagna.

"Honeymoon?" May asks and Tony vigorously nods.

"Sexy and productive," he winks at her, Rhodey snorting beside him.

Tony spends four hours with FRIDAY and Peter (who was nominated to do the 'boring' job) meticulously being filled in on what's happened. He views news stories and videos of the Tower, peter explains the experiments and Tony uses extremis to check that the legion got everyone safely home from the wedding.

"Jeez, you weren't gone that long, nothing much happened," Peter tells him.

There was one Xavier call out and there are still reports on the wedding being filled out. Pepper and Natasha talked to the press about wedding details, Clint covered up who Fury was at the wedding and T'Chaka's army of terrifying ladies made sure nobody broke into any of Tony's labs or rooms after he left the wedding.

Most of the public seems uncaring about Tony's relationship, the rest of it are at total war over each other. There's the people out for Tony's head over the 'disgusting' act that is leaving one's soulmate and the rest who are screaming about human rights and for people to fuck off. Tony reads some of the tumblr articles and theories and almost dies laughing. Peter shows him the one's he and Harley have collected and Tony has FRIDAY send Fox the most entertaining ones.  
Tony goes back to work and Bruce goes back to research and life goes back to normal.

Rhodey starts lending himself out to the army and he enjoys it, Tony knows. But none of them are getting any younger and Tony can see it in the way even the newest braces seem to drag him down, how the lines on his forehead are more pronounced than ever and how he doesn't just like he used to.

"Buddy?" Tony talks to him one day while Rhodey's back.

"Tones, looking good," Rhodey hugs the other man and Tony smiles.

"Listen, I know you're probably going to refuse but I don't want to lose you and I'm going to ask anyway," Tony starts, holding his best friend's hand.

"Would you be willing to have extremis powers?"

"Tony," Rhodes sighs, straightening, "extremis is amazing, brilliant and effective clearly. You haven't aged since Ultron at least and you have to know everyone else has noticed, we're all getting old. Peter's going to collage, Pepper has grey hairs. I don't want to leave but I can't," he says, Tony nods and he immediately thinks of how long he's going to be alone for, everyone else will die.

"But don't worry, I don't think the Hulk allows Bruce to age, he barely looks older than when we first met him.

Sure, for a while he looked a lot stressed but you'll have him," and he knows Bruce hasn't aged really but he worries.

"You can't leave the mortal life," Tony tells him, he knows Rhodey wouldn't think it's right.

"I'm going to get married," Rhodey announces as Tony frowns, "I've been dating a captain, Carol for a while now and I'm going going to ask when I see her next," and Tony can't even fault that, he want's Rhodey's happiness more than anything else.

He meets Carol months later when he's just getting back from visiting collages for Harley , mechanics obviously. They're still thinking MIT, even though they just visited Peter and his part-time bio-engineering class. they're eating ice cream even though it's cold and wearing caps to hide their faces as they enter the tower, only for Tony to walk into Rhodey's fiance when he tries walking backwards.

She's lovely and he definitely likes her, Rhodey's happier than ever.

With Harley applying for collage, Cooper, Emily and Lila start to contemplate what they want to do. Kamala's training to lead the Avengers and deal with the UN.

"I think I want to teach," Lila tells Bruce who tells Tony. Emily says she wants to study law and she'll decide from there. Cooper's thinking aerospace engineering.

Right before his eyes, Tony watches the people he loves grow and he loves it, Bruce stands steady with him, face the same as always as Tony has to start wearing makeup to fool the press into his aging because fuck, he's 46 but he looks 35.

As Harley gets into MIT, Cooper decides he wants to study abroad, having been planning on apprenticing at SI instead of going to collage. Laura's sure it's his teenage angst filling up but Bruce believes he feels suffocated.

"Think about it, he's associated with all the amazing people around him, I doubt he feels nearly as smart as Harley, let alone Peter. I don't blame him for wanting to leave," and Tony gets it, he grew up in the shadow of his father's fame, even when he died and even at the wedding there were those that asked after Howard and Tony despised it. But Tony had no way to escape, he had to go to MIT and he had to build weapons and he had to smile for the press. So he tells Cooper to go and he supports his decision against Laura and he tries to explain to the overly paranoid mother, used to being completely secure in the tower, even during an invasion. He applies for schools across England mostly, because of the common language.

Lila doesn't have a favourite subject, her only joy is looking over baby Natasha which pepper slyly pays her for, even with Tony, Bruce and FRIDAY around.

She's all around Stark Industries and Tony's still the actual CEO but unofficially they're a better team than ever before. They start to expand exponentially.

Someone on a talk show makes a joke about taking over the world and Tony has to let of some steam in a fit of giggles before he can even begin to reply.  
FRIDAY shouts in his ear to not sound like a dictator and maybe the plan will still work and Tony laughs a bit harder.

"What's so funny?" they ask.

"I find it funny that up until now the question's been are you destroying the planet," Bruce asks him when the plans changed.

"Weren't we settling down?"

"Honey, we're nowhere near that," Tony kisses him when he smiles.

Kam becomes proficient in being the only one with enough time and patience to help Tony apply his make up to his not-aging face. She decides the only thing she wants to do full time is Avenge, so he supports her. He supported her delve into her religion and he supported her when she decided to move away for a while. He's just happy that she's decided to stay.

Lila is ecstatic to have another female around, continuing to smile as Tony grumbles about there not exactly being a lack of them, with the Black widow and the rest prowling around to make sure they all sleep and eat regularly.

At Harley's insistence they hold two going away parties for him and Cooper, one at home and the other at the compound. They do.

The first is held at the Tower, the penthouse prepped and covered in confetti, banners and piles of cake for the moving kids. And no matter how much Harley complains about not being a kid, Tony will remind him at he will forever be a child to him.

"I still see you as a tiny bullied ten year old, don't argue with your father you will lose," Tony laughs.

"And nobody wants to grow up as early as Tony had to," Rhodey stage whispers to him which earns him a smack from Pepper.

They've got FRIDAY predominantly monitoring Natasha who sleeps soundly on Pepper's floor, Happy who is anxious leaving the baby without a watcher agrees when Pepper does.

Cooper insists on strictly no alcohol as he's sure everyone will be excessively drinking two days after when they have to interact with Steve and the rest. Harley really wanted to see the rest of the Avengers and they all hope T'Challa will be able to make it, even as T'Chaka and Shuri probably can't.

Lila buys each of the boys a giant fluffy pink rabbit to remember her by and Nathaniel is pottering around the room trying to eat cake without his parents realizing. Clint, the sniper carefully monitors everything the toddler goes withing six feet of and is constantly sweeping the boy off of his feet and through the air.

Coulson and Fury even manage to pop in for half an hour to set off a party popper and catch the last half of whichever Disney movie is playing in the background.

"Thanks for supporting this," Cooper tells Tony and Bruce.

"No problem, kid," Tony replies.

"It's not like you won't be safe in England, what with the huge branch of Avengers there, you'll even be able to meet more people like yourself," Bruce smiles, always with the actual advice and reasoning (even is Tony has substantially improved over the years).

They don't stay up to ridiculous hours and there are no petty arguments. They do still blow things up with the iron man gauntlets and there is a small explosion from the microwave.

They head to bed happy but Tony dreads for the next one.

The point is that Harley wanted to see all his friends from the Avengers and they all know each other quite well, the only animosity is that Rogers and his crew will be there. Rhodey's been making up with Sam, he is the most reasonable one but it's still a long time coming. Tony thinks Vision would have wanted to make up with the witch eventually and the thought even brings tears to his eyes. He tries not to think about what could have been with Vis, and just trust that he had a good few years there. He knows Vision died a hero and he knows he was mourned, even on Asgard, having lifted Thor's hammer he was renowned up there (relative term) and Tony is pleased he had a hand in Vision's life.

Tony prowls around the Avengers facility, it's packed and he supposes he should expand again. Extremis triangles under his skin with his unease and he greets everyone he knows.

The twats arrive late and it's to Tony's shock that Rogers arrives arm in arm with Agent 13 herself. Tony smiles though, hoping this means Rogers is moving on. To, you know, someone that'll accept him.

"Tony," he greets the brunette with a smile.

"Captain, Sharon," Tony nods feeling more awkward and heated by the second. FRIDAY whispers in his head that she's sending Bruce and as Steve stares at him Tony aches to hide behind his husband.

"So, are you together?" Tony asks instead.

"Yes," Sharon smiles up at Steve, who shares the look.

"That's good," Tony nods at them.

"I've been told a thousand times you weren't having me, I was forced to move on," and wow, Steve still sounds bitter, Tony isn't nearly surprised. 

"Sharon'll be good for you, and she clearly cares," Tony is shaking his head as Bruce appears next to him.

"Darling," Bruce kisses him on the cheek and Tony has to bite into the inside of his own to stop the peals of laughter from escaping him.

"Jordan has such interesting theories on Logan," Bruce states, Tony laughs and they walk away quicker than necessary.

"I hope it gets to a point where I won't want to run out of my own skin when I'm around him," Tony mock shivers.

"Probably not," Cooper laughs at him, Tony decides childish is the way to go and sticks his tongue out.  
The rest to the party is decent and Tony barely has to get drunk so he holds back. 

Tony never liked the thought of Harley leaving home but he deals well without his son around and he helps Pepper with Natasha constantly.

Lila has four years but she starts really thinking of a career path. Tony doesn't mind who takes over SI, he just wants whoever does to want it, not the way a business degree was forced on him.

Tony isn't surprised but Harley manages to meet his soulmate and fall madly in love with them during his first year. The press are vultures with the knowledge of the Stark (heir)'s girlfriend. Tony gets mad phone calls with Harley begging for help keeping her (Charlie) out of too much sight.

"It's worrying," Harley states.

"I don't mind it too much, as long as my mother doesn't have people camping outside her house or anything, they can't really get into the site anyway and as long as I can be with Harley," she tells Tony and he smiles.

"I'm locking all your records," he promises and hacks into everything right away as his eyes blaze blue over the Skype call she gasps is shock, Harley steadying her in her chair.

"There's gag orders for this but I know you won't tell anyone," Harley starts. 

"It's called Extremis," Tony interjected.

"It means dad can connect to computers, tech, satellites, the suit. Most things," Harley tells Charlie.

"It also makes his eyes blue when he uses it?" She asks.

"When I actively use it," he says.

"He can also superheat his body and heal any injury he has," Harley adds.

"Why does he still have the arc reactor?" She questions.

"It's part of me now," Tony decides to leave it at that and Harley nods with him.

Lila stays in NY to study further while Emily talks about studying abroad or across the country. Tony starts to think about the house in the forest again.

Tony wears more and more makeup and Bruce has to when he accompanies Tony too. They look as old as the rest of their friends when they're outside and nobody suspects a thing. Tony feels tired and he sees Rhodey stumble in his braces once and it almost brings him to his knees as well. Carol, the loving woman gently helps him up and they keep moving.

Harley proposes to Charlie on the night on their graduation and they decide, after asking Tony to pay for it to wed quickly, so it won't be a problem for Emily as she plans on moving to Canada before the next academic year.

"I want to live separately for a while," she had chosen.

"People only think of me as privileged now and I love you but I need to build myself up," and Tony understands. His 50th birthday is pretty much ignored, Tony doesn't particularly want to think about age.

"You okay, Bruce?" He does check though.

"I'm not sure, this thing wrong with us, I don't think I like it," the man signs, running a hand down his face.

"We've aged slightly," Tony tries, he just wants to be happy.

"Not really since the Chitauri take 1," Bruce sighs.

"You have to had noticed it before Thanos," Tony hugs his husband and prays for an honest answer.

"I couldn't handle it, I had you and that was it and as far as it seemed Extremis was very good for you, better than the Hulk for me," 

"But the Hulk was the best thing for you, it gave you power," Tony pleaded, "and it brought you to me," 

"All I've wanted since the accident was to be normal and I thought we were getting there until this," Bruce kisses Tony's cheek, pulling back and clearly troubled. Tony grabs his hand.

"We've got stranger issues that the rest but we have to deal. It wasn't a mistake, nothing we did was a mistake. I regret nothing of you," Tony shakes his head as his husband walks away.

Tony hires the best for the wedding but they keep it small. Thor does turn up though to Tony's elation.

"Shield brothers!" Thor exclaims as Tony and Bruce greet him, the stale air around them must be suffocating.

"You look good Thor," Tony is sure he's wearing slightly different armour but he can't be sure. Jane is wearing a regal gown in red next to him and she smiles uncertainty at them, she looks younger the golden apples must do wonders.

"You look no different," she comments, confused.

"We don't know either," Tony shrugs, even with his many theories, most of them revolving around super healing. With the fights they're having saying we seems hard.

"How's Asgard?" Bruce asks.

"We're working on getting Darcy an Apple but Odin is hesitant, we heard something from Vanaheim that Loki may be alive though," she tells them.

"When the next Odin-sleep occurs, it shall surely be soon, I shall gift the fair Darcy with one of Iddun's apples," Thor tells them.

"How do you leave everything?" Tony asks Jane.

"I didn't leave everything. I mean, Asgard is completely different than here and I can't use slang at all. They don't expect me to have a brain as Thor's fiance but I'm getting off track. Darce said she'd join us and I love Thor and if I have to spend forever by anyone's side it's him,"

The colours of the wedding were, completely by Charlie's choice (and it makes Tony smile more) red and silver. There are flowers and banners across the church, packed with both families and their close friends, Cooper even came back to be Harley's best man.

The ceremony is simple and after Tony meets Charlie's dad.

"I wasn't sure this was true until today," he tells Tony.

"Well she's a delight and I'm happy this worked out for Harley," Tony tells him and there's a voice in his head begging for schoolmates not to be brought up, there was enough of that in the actual ceremony.

"My daughter and her soul mate, I'm very proud," Tony winces but Bruce smiles at him across the room to cheer him up. Tony gives a wobbly one back and plasters a public face on.

"It's such a nice thing when soulmates work, isn't it?"

"I'm just happy they found love," Tony replies trying to signal Happy for an escape route.

Instead, Happy just gets roped into the conversation when the bride's mother comes along. Tony groans though half an hour of soul mate nonsense until there's someone else who he just has to meet according to Charlie.

"They better not have any of your parents ulterior motives," he whispers to her.

Months after the wedding Tony's still freaking out about forever while also the people he lives die and

Bruce is still stuck on normal.

"Talk to him," Pepper says.

"Tony this is childish, do you love him?" Happy asks, knowing the answer.

"Of course I do," Tony sighs, "but I can help it's going to be a bit weird when you realise everyone you love will die and you'll have this one person who loves and supports you but is the only person who will truly know,"

Bruce moves out of their bedroom a week later after a screaming match.

"I can't deal with this!" Tony screams.

"Well I'll go then," Bruce growls and he does.  
Tony cries to Rhodey and he doesn't even want to know what Nat and Bruce are talking about.

"Rhodey," Tony whispers later, having exhausted himself shouting about dealing with things like adults and learning how to cope and why can't Bruce just accept it, why can't he just accept it himself. 

"You're going to die," Tony states.

"I know," Tony's best friend replies.

"I've had JARVIS die, I've had Vision die. I've let the bots fall into the ocean, I don't think I can deal with much else,"

Tony takes a year, he procrastinates, he watches shit TV. He builds flying roombas for no reason and he gets a bit stupid in Avengers fights. He sees Bruce try to get rid of the Hulk, explain everything to their kids, Emily who won't be coming home. Natasha tells them both the other is hurting and they both ignore it. 

He hurts without Bruce and he still sees the age in people. Being alone makes it worse, he thinks.

Tony works tirelessly and travels, he does all the CEO things Pepper wants him to do. He meets as many people as possible but tells them nothing.

Tony works on Extremis until he is almost sure ridding himself of it wouldn't leave him crippled or dead and then he moves into the Malibu house for four months to perfect it in the workshop where it all began. He uses an actual memory bank so it's not connected to him or SI and none of his friends will know what he's doing.

He takes two days to decide if he should do it, he cuts off FRIDAY and all communications with his powers and runs along the beach until his feet burn as munch as they can. When he decides against it he throws the memory bank holding the data into the sea.

It physically hurts him to do so, he will have to watch all the people he loves die. He doesn't have the selfishness in him to leave Bruce alone. He loves that man, he feels it within the mind numbing ache that lingers each day he doesn't wake up with Bruce by his side.

The day Bruce turns up at the Malibu house gets seared into his memory. He has the bots with him and a box of donuts and Tony almost bursts into tears on the spot.

"Hi," Tony squeaks.

"Tony," Bruce sighs walking into the house. Dummy chirps happily and bumps into Tony's leg twice. FRIDAY opens the elevator and guides the bots to go downstairs.

"I miss you, Bruce," Tony starts.

"Tony, I'm so sorry," Bruce replies and they go on like that for a while.

"I'm still not comfortable with this," Bruce says a few minutes later.

"We have to accept we're not getting out of this and just make the most of it," Tony tells him and he smiles.

They phone Harley in the evening after they've eaten and caught up.

"You do realise you literally wasted a whole year," the boy says.

"Oi! I did stuff!" Tony protests.

"Yeah but you guys broke up for a reason you can't control only to decide to suck it up a year later," 

"Harley I know it was stupid but it's not the most stupid thing we've done," Bruce reasons.

"But it's the most stupid thing you've done to each other," their kid sighs and takes a hand though his hair.

"I know you're going to live forever can you just promise me something like this won't happen again?"

"We promise any problems that arise we will work out together,"

And they do, through deciding who will take over what, each new relationship or soul mate found. 

They talk through the passing down of Iron Man and War Machine and they talk about what will happen with the Hulk. These days the monster is mostly calm but if another Thanos situation was to arise the Hulk would be needed.

The turmoil of the grandchildren's births, of deciding when to stop telling their secret to their relatives. When to tell the world they died and what to tell all the people, the Avengers connected to them.

They talk to each other about when to drop off the grid. And they decide how Tony will still help SI.

They refuse Thor's offer of Asgard together.

They meet Riri Williams together and they have to pull both Emily but her soul mate too out of a fire.

They move back into the bunker house permanently and they grieve together as each of their friends passes away. Fury is quite obviously the first to go and it hits Tony the hardest. He doesn't quite drink himself to death but Rhodey does talk to Bruce about when his parents died.

They visit Steve and Bucky together, once the rest of them have moved on. They aren't together but seem to be growing old on the farm in a way Clint failed.  
They watch Natasha retire into security detail for SI and Clint start screening new recruits.

They help Pepper move SI into taking over the world and Tony makes many remarks about popcorn and watching things play out.

They help Clint coach Cooper through the loss of a soulmate he never go to meet and Natasha the second, much to Pepper's hate, wants to work for SHIELD.

Thor returns to introduce his first heir, a beautiful daughter named Frigga, after his mother. The baby is massive for barely three months and Jane looks exhausted.

They still refuse to migrate to the golden realm.

Tony almost looses it when Rhodey dies and he is so grateful that Bruce is there to hold him throughout it.

Crying over the eulogy that even Carol wouldn't argue with him over and Jesus, his best friend only lived until 70 and who knows how long Tony will have to fight without him. He remembers the fifteen years of abuse he suffered before he completly latched onto Rhodes and for a while, it seems like he won't be able to make it after.

Bruce comforts him but they're both sure the only thing keeping Tony alive is Extremis. With his refusal to eat or sleep, doing nothing but medical work because maybe if someone could help heart patients, somebody could have stopped the sudden heart failure that killed his best friend.

They distract themselves by tearing down and rebuilding parts of their house, they renovations are all done by hand with the bots, immortal too and they're loved by everyone when they're seen.

They get the younger people to paint the ceiling different colours every year and Bruce and Tony bask in living, even though it's hard.

By the time Tony should have died he has great grandkids who don't know he exists and Pepper and Happy are in a home. Clint and Laura are looked after in their own home by the still mobile Natasha while Bruce and Tony watch from the sidelines. 

They try to meet as many of their relatives as they can under duress or in disguise. They talk to and they train the people who will shape the future, be it the Avengers or Stark industries or one of Lila's grandchildren who is determined to end all poverty. She does this partially by vising the back-end parts of the countries that need her but also by encouraging Riri, Nat, Peter and Harley to continue Pepper's work and take over the world.

And Tony finds it amazing that by the time that Harley dies and Riri takes over, they're almost there. This, of course, is greatly overshadowed by their son's death. 

They mourn and they destroy things, they work to the bone and spend lots of their days traveling. All of their friends except Natasha are gone and the rest of the second generation are in homes, wheelchairs or hospitals. Peter, being a mutant has a much higher expected lifetime and continues his work with the Avengers, still after the others are long gone.

Thor returns to offer them a move again straight after Emily's death and they refuse, knowing they have to stay for Natasha, who's super reflexes experimented on her by the KCG are finally wearing off. Besides, the world isn't quite done with them yet.  
While Riri's son continues to pilot the Iron Heart Tony's still there as the Iron man, of course almost nobody knows who he is now and while the UN take great measures to assure they have some power over him, making his own agreement, much like the early Spiderman one, nobody really starts to look for who the Iron man might be. This is partially due to the fact that he may have greatly threatened SHIELD to stay away from him.

So they stay in their nice forest house that rarely gets visitors, they work and Bruce solves the dirty water problem while Tony creates massive satellites and better robots. They work together to find natural ways for people to live longer, after all most of the realms have lifetimes far greater than their own, even if Asgard is the only one with immortality.

They visit the busiest cities, New York, London, where they see superheroes freely roaming and they even go to meet up with Logan, Wolverine who's still kicking (somehow).

Tony visits the planes in Afghanistan which once was the place of the caves that held him captive twice over the years. He reflects on how he's grown and Bruce comments about his lack of recent nightmares. Tony feels more confident but more weary than ever before.

They visit the graveyard where everyone they ever loved is laid to rest, by the malibu home which now belongs to people who are still, technically the Bartons.

They genetically engineer Red, Gold and Green flowers, Blue ones for Rhodey and Orange one's for Pepper. Purple for Clint and Laura and they lay them on the anniversary of each person's death and Tony still mourns.

And he knows Bruce does too, for those that proved to him he wasn't a monster, for those who welcomed him and gave him a home.

But Tony mourns for those that kept him afloat, for those that pulled him from the rubble and told him to build another way to fly.

Steve and Bucky die close to each other, when Bucky went it seemed Steve really couldn't live without him. It's a long time after The couple should have died and yet they still outlive the super soldiers. 

They watch the world re shape and Tony gets new info and gets a job in SI. they watch as the massive, iron man inspired satellites go into orbit, for better connection and protection. Bruce advises ways of prolonging life and with all the new products and medical treatment people start to live longer. Not all that much but Bruce like to think people are evolving.  
SI does take over the wold with Tony as Iron man still at the helm. They help people in anyway they can and SI is the shining light of the future, everyone says.

Bruce works his way to one of the R&D higher ups and he encourages new plantation and more green spaces among the city. he talks about how \robots are great but he wants to see more of the good old trees spurting back up. 

It's on the five hundredth anniversary of Harley's death that Thor returns. Tony and Bruce are sitting in the breeze and heat of malibu, talking to all the graves about all the changes when they agree that the earth will survive without them, the various superhero networks for the massive armed satellites won't allow any civilians to be hurt and they leave.

They go to their house to pack bags and the bots, much thinner and taller now, upgrades are a wonderful thing. Still as chirpy and stupid as ever. They pack research and teach and clothes and Jane tells them they have supplies but the don't listen to her.

Tony feels like he's abandoning something as they stand on the roof of the house to leave but Bruce is excited with the possibility of more knowledge.

"We're basically the Vulcan elders at this point," Tony thinks. They know more than anyone, in their minds and the massive library their house and the Tower holds. They've lived longer and they've seen more than anyone and they love earth but a change of scenery is needed after this long.

"We'll come back," Bruce assures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't quite get the end but I hope you liked it.  
> Thank you for sticking around for the end of this, I appreciate every single one of you and I'm sure this would have been abandoned ages ago if not for the response.  
> This is the end but at some point, there may be additional bits, just because I like writing Tony and I love this 'verse.  
> -thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Civil war completely ruined the Steve/Tony ship for me. I didn't particularly ship them before but I think they just wouldn't be able to get over this. With so many betrayals in Tony's life I think he wouldn't forgive (he hasn't before) and I don't like the ones where he's groveling for forgiveness, Tony is too strong and stubborn.  
> I love Tony, he needs to be protected. So he will be.  
> Leve me comments and kudos~  
> -I changed my Tumblr url, check it out I post as much Tony as I can find without Steve.  
> thebeeswithoutwarning.tumblr.com


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